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Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado
A nail-biting, captivating look at tornados, from personal stories of those impacted by the natural disasters to the history of the struggle to understand this bewildering force of Mother Nature.
May 3, 1999, is a day that Oklahomans will never forget. By the time the sun set over a ravaged plain, some 71 tornadoes had claimed around 11,000 homes and businesses and caused $1 billion in damage. One of them was a mile-wide monster of incredible power, the fiercest F5 twister to hit a metropolitan area, and whose 300 mph winds were the fastest ever recorded.
Veteran journalist Nancy Mathis draws on many interviews to weave the story of those few terrifying hours that irrevocably changed the lives of many Oklahomans. Storm Warning features Kara Wiese, who fought to save her son from the fatal winds; and Charlie Cusack, who followed the tornado's progress on television until it came knocking on his front door. Amazingly, only thirty-eight people perished at the hands of the Oklahoma F5. Many lives were saved by the efforts of professionals such as Ted Fujita, the creator of the Fujita Scale and dubbed "Mr. Tornado" for his relentless pursuit to unravel a twister's mysteries; the oft-criticized but dogged government meteorologists; and Gary England, a resourceful TV weatherman whose tireless efforts prepared hundreds of people in the tornado's path.
May 3, 1999, is a day that Oklahomans will never forget. By the time the sun set over a ravaged plain, some 71 tornadoes had claimed around 11,000 homes and businesses and caused $1 billion in damage. One of them was a mile-wide monster of incredible power, the fiercest F5 twister to hit a metropolitan area, and whose 300 mph winds were the fastest ever recorded.
Veteran journalist Nancy Mathis draws on many interviews to weave the story of those few terrifying hours that irrevocably changed the lives of many Oklahomans. Storm Warning features Kara Wiese, who fought to save her son from the fatal winds; and Charlie Cusack, who followed the tornado's progress on television until it came knocking on his front door. Amazingly, only thirty-eight people perished at the hands of the Oklahoma F5. Many lives were saved by the efforts of professionals such as Ted Fujita, the creator of the Fujita Scale and dubbed "Mr. Tornado" for his relentless pursuit to unravel a twister's mysteries; the oft-criticized but dogged government meteorologists; and Gary England, a resourceful TV weatherman whose tireless efforts prepared hundreds of people in the tornado's path.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
71 people are currently reading
630 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 21, 2016
This books has a very personal connection to me, and when I learned it existed, I knew I had to read it. I lived in Moore, Oklahoma, in 1999, and the only reason I was not in my apartment - which was completely flattened by the monster - was a fortunate visit to my parents' out of state. This book brought back a lot of memories, as well as the familiar sensation of "what if." I lost neighbors in this event, and I remember every year on that date that things could have been very different. My heart ached for every victim described in this book, and there were many passages that I found tears in my eyes. This book was both beautiful and a punch in the gut to me. I actually had to put it down for a period of time because I needed a break. I don't think the average reader would have that reaction, and I certainly didn't put it aside because it was uninteresting.
Aside from the fabulous storytelling of that tragic day, I also really enjoyed the story of the evolution of meteorology that she told. There is no question that Ms. Mathis took this book very seriously. Her level of research and attention to detail is impressive. The book expertly crafts together science and humanity, which is really the purpose of meteorology after all.
I would love to see Ms. Mathis update her book, as so much has changed, especially in 2011 and 2013, with the world of tornadoes, and, unfortunately, with Moore.
Aside from the fabulous storytelling of that tragic day, I also really enjoyed the story of the evolution of meteorology that she told. There is no question that Ms. Mathis took this book very seriously. Her level of research and attention to detail is impressive. The book expertly crafts together science and humanity, which is really the purpose of meteorology after all.
I would love to see Ms. Mathis update her book, as so much has changed, especially in 2011 and 2013, with the world of tornadoes, and, unfortunately, with Moore.
February 11, 2017
I didn't like the way the book jumped about between stories, so that by the time the book got back to talking about someone I had forgotten all the particulars of their story.
Otherwise very enjoyable. The science was neither too technical nor too dumbed down.
Otherwise very enjoyable. The science was neither too technical nor too dumbed down.
December 17, 2019
I really enjoyed the way Mathis wove together the Moore tornado and the stories of those impacted by it with the history of meteorology and severe weather forecasting. It was also a...unique experience to be reading this and see some of my colleagues in the field pop up in the book. I suppose that’s expected when a meteorologist reads a book about the weather though.
January 22, 2023
"Much of the language of meteorology related to warfare."
Those words ring true for anyone who has an avowed interest in weather and severe storms: prepping for a chase is often likened to gearing up for battle... and the casualties are all too real. Having lived on and off in the South over the course of my life, tornado warnings, most terrifyingly at night, when sirens rouse you from sleep, are something you always remember, especially if you're close enough to have to take cover. Due to their unpredictability and destructive power, they are truly the stuff of nightmares, even if they remain a source of endless fascination.
Published in 2007, the book logically omits the most recent tornadic catastrophes to strike Oklahoma and other vulnerable parts of the US, the former of which always seems to incur the lion's share of them, including two 2013 events which rival some of the worst in American history. To recap that tragic day, which is certainly worth including, as it demonstrates the perpetual difficulty of predicting storms and providing sufficient warning to the public to take cover or get out of the path of the storm: the EF-5 Moore Tornado, on May 20, 2013, killed 24 people. Sadly, it followed a similar track to the 1999 event, the so-called "Bridge Creek" tornado, discussed in the book, killing 36 people. A second tornado, which spawned later that same day, killed another 24 people - but these were only two of a reported 71 tornadoes resulting from that particular outbreak.
The largest tornado ever recorded (a record at one time held by the 1999 Moore tornado), at 2.6 MILES wide, struck near El Reno, OK, only eleven days later. No loss of life is acceptable, but, shockingly, considering the size, it killed eight people, many fewer than the previous one on May 20, but that tally included four highly experienced storm chasers, which actually constituted the first known fatalities in the recorded history of storm chasing. TWISTEX scientist Tim Samaras, his son Paul and research partner Carl Young were killed in their car, while another veteran storm chaser, Richard Henderson, was also killed in that same area, demonstrating the speed with which the tornado unpredictably changed its track and closed in on them before they could escape. Perhaps they were unaware of the size and danger, as it was a rain-wrapped wedge, so its actual size may have been obscured, and, likewise, the danger. Other storm chasers Mike Bettes and Reed Timmer were injured or incurred damage to their vehicles, constituting one of the other 151 people injured that day.
Devastating storms seem to be a perennial source of fascination. To that end, there is no shortage of popular books on the subject. It is utterly stunning to think that as early as 1887, the word "tornado" was banned for use in popular publications, and remained prohibited from public broadcast until the 1950s, for fear of "panicking" the public. Clearly, early officials didn't realize the potential. This informative and engaging book is something of a mixed bag. It primarily focuses on the tempestuous weather, pardon the pun, of the state of Oklahoma, a geographically unique area prone to some of nature's worst destruction, which has occurred with regularity since time immemorial, but includes information on the history of weather forecasting, deadly storms, and some of the colorful characters who developed the technology we rely on today. The book opens with an event called Nature's Atom Bomb, a legendary and devastating tornado which struck multiple states in April, 1947, most famously, the town for which the event would be named, Woodward, Oklahoma, where 107 out of the 181 fatalities occurred.
About that same time, an unexpected figure began research into the phenomenon of severe weather and tornadoes, one Tetsuya Fujita (for whom the famous scale is named), a Japanese scientist who himself narrowly escaped death, not once, but twice. Ironically, it was not at the hands of mother nature, but an even more sinister new reality - nuclear obliteration. Fujita owed his survival to his father who asked him to attend a local university rather than a more distant one - Hiroshima, the first target destroyed by an atom bomb. On the day of the second bombing, Fujita narrowly escaped death again simply due to the fact that the primary target, the Kokura arsenal, located about three miles from that local university he decided to attend instead, Meiji College, was clouded over, so the plane diverted to the secondary target, the city of Nagasaki. Perhaps even more surprisingly, Fujita made his way to the US in 1953, and became a genuine celebrity. And not since 1953 had a tornado killed more than 100 people... until Joplin... which was the deadliest since 1947, killing 161 people and causing $2.8 billion in damages.
The book sets the stage in the US with a history lesson, and includes some information I haven't come across previously. It notes in particular age-old efforts, here, as early as the nineteenth-century, by early weather scholars, including US Army Signal Service astronomer Cleveland Abbe, the Chief Meteorologist with the US Weather Bureau, at that time an agency within the USDA, where he remained in government service until his death in 1916. The logical thinking at the time was that weather research should remain within the auspices of the US government. Things took a turn with the advent of commercial aviation, when another pioneer founded the National Weather and Aviation School in Michigan.
The USDA's weather bureau had formerly been mostly concerned with flood warnings, which it had started issuing in the early 20th century. Not only were US scientists studying weather phenomena, however: the "air mass theory," or the concept of warm and cold fronts, now universally accepted, was actually developed in Norway. Unfortunately, failure to acknowledge this vital research may have cost hundreds of lives, especially on one afternoon in March, 1925, when the Weather Bureau called for rains and shifting winds. The storm produced something far more devastating, however, specifically the most deadly tornado in recorded history: the Tri-State Twister tore a 210-mile-long track through Missouri, Indiana and southern Illinois. It was on the ground for a reported 3.5 hours, and moved at twice the speed of any other twister ever recorded. In total, the dead numbered 695: to the present, nigh on a century later, it remains the deadliest in history.
In response, and after a series of deadly hits, the Weather Bureau finally rescinded its blanket ban on the use of the term "tornado" in 1938, but not without resistance: it remained limited to only select, official channels, not for public broadcast. The term "tornado" was not uttered with any regularity by news outlets until the 1960s. Shockingly, despite the mounting casualties, as the population boomed and suburbs after the war meant that increasing numbers of people were moving into the path of the storms, weather stations and news outlets still remained prohibited from warning the public (so much for freedom of the press).
In 1948, two US military figures and weather forecasters, began to change that, however, with their efforts to study tornadoes, after some $10 million in damage was caused to the new Tinker AFB, just south of Oklahoma City, by a tornado in March 1948. Only at the base for three weeks before the event, Capt. Miller and another man, Major E.J. Fawbush, began studying charts and reports from previous tornado outbreaks to try to find some pattern. To everyone's shock, they were actually able to predict a tornado outbreak, for the first time the following year, suggesting that there may be some pattern and predictability to one of nature's most destructive forces. A second tornado at the base a year later caused some $6 million in damage, but not to the planes, which, due to their predictions, had been secured in the hangars and escaped the worst of the damage. A year later, in March, 1949, they issued yet another accurate forecast, setting the stage for what was to come: the scientific study of tornadoes and severe weather.
I won't provide a detailed description of what follows, as I think this sets the scene rather well. The book is well-written overall, and includes a wealth of detailed yet thoroughly digestible information, even for the lay person, but I struggled with the organization somewhat, which I think is its biggest flaw. It jumps back and forth between the history of the study of severe weather, the 1999 event itself, some of the science behind severe storms, and the influential figures who studied them, such as Fujita and Gary England, weatherman extraordinaire, who became a household name in Oklahoma for his coverage of the events, including the 1999 tornado which is the subject of the book.
The narrative was also somewhat disjointed: the stories of some of those affected by the event are introduced early on in the book, but disappear for entire chapters, making it somewhat challenging to follow the narrative. As opposed to in-depth interviews with survivors and witnesses, the book also relies heavily on what seem to be transcripts of news broadcasts that day, and perhaps newspaper snippets with statements from survivors and family members. This book and those like it are not for the faint of heart, but it's still inspiring to read of the stories of the survivors and their resilience, and of the men and women who continue their life's work of research to develop even better early warning systems, which is a major step in making tornado deaths a thing of the past.
Those words ring true for anyone who has an avowed interest in weather and severe storms: prepping for a chase is often likened to gearing up for battle... and the casualties are all too real. Having lived on and off in the South over the course of my life, tornado warnings, most terrifyingly at night, when sirens rouse you from sleep, are something you always remember, especially if you're close enough to have to take cover. Due to their unpredictability and destructive power, they are truly the stuff of nightmares, even if they remain a source of endless fascination.
Published in 2007, the book logically omits the most recent tornadic catastrophes to strike Oklahoma and other vulnerable parts of the US, the former of which always seems to incur the lion's share of them, including two 2013 events which rival some of the worst in American history. To recap that tragic day, which is certainly worth including, as it demonstrates the perpetual difficulty of predicting storms and providing sufficient warning to the public to take cover or get out of the path of the storm: the EF-5 Moore Tornado, on May 20, 2013, killed 24 people. Sadly, it followed a similar track to the 1999 event, the so-called "Bridge Creek" tornado, discussed in the book, killing 36 people. A second tornado, which spawned later that same day, killed another 24 people - but these were only two of a reported 71 tornadoes resulting from that particular outbreak.
The largest tornado ever recorded (a record at one time held by the 1999 Moore tornado), at 2.6 MILES wide, struck near El Reno, OK, only eleven days later. No loss of life is acceptable, but, shockingly, considering the size, it killed eight people, many fewer than the previous one on May 20, but that tally included four highly experienced storm chasers, which actually constituted the first known fatalities in the recorded history of storm chasing. TWISTEX scientist Tim Samaras, his son Paul and research partner Carl Young were killed in their car, while another veteran storm chaser, Richard Henderson, was also killed in that same area, demonstrating the speed with which the tornado unpredictably changed its track and closed in on them before they could escape. Perhaps they were unaware of the size and danger, as it was a rain-wrapped wedge, so its actual size may have been obscured, and, likewise, the danger. Other storm chasers Mike Bettes and Reed Timmer were injured or incurred damage to their vehicles, constituting one of the other 151 people injured that day.
Devastating storms seem to be a perennial source of fascination. To that end, there is no shortage of popular books on the subject. It is utterly stunning to think that as early as 1887, the word "tornado" was banned for use in popular publications, and remained prohibited from public broadcast until the 1950s, for fear of "panicking" the public. Clearly, early officials didn't realize the potential. This informative and engaging book is something of a mixed bag. It primarily focuses on the tempestuous weather, pardon the pun, of the state of Oklahoma, a geographically unique area prone to some of nature's worst destruction, which has occurred with regularity since time immemorial, but includes information on the history of weather forecasting, deadly storms, and some of the colorful characters who developed the technology we rely on today. The book opens with an event called Nature's Atom Bomb, a legendary and devastating tornado which struck multiple states in April, 1947, most famously, the town for which the event would be named, Woodward, Oklahoma, where 107 out of the 181 fatalities occurred.
About that same time, an unexpected figure began research into the phenomenon of severe weather and tornadoes, one Tetsuya Fujita (for whom the famous scale is named), a Japanese scientist who himself narrowly escaped death, not once, but twice. Ironically, it was not at the hands of mother nature, but an even more sinister new reality - nuclear obliteration. Fujita owed his survival to his father who asked him to attend a local university rather than a more distant one - Hiroshima, the first target destroyed by an atom bomb. On the day of the second bombing, Fujita narrowly escaped death again simply due to the fact that the primary target, the Kokura arsenal, located about three miles from that local university he decided to attend instead, Meiji College, was clouded over, so the plane diverted to the secondary target, the city of Nagasaki. Perhaps even more surprisingly, Fujita made his way to the US in 1953, and became a genuine celebrity. And not since 1953 had a tornado killed more than 100 people... until Joplin... which was the deadliest since 1947, killing 161 people and causing $2.8 billion in damages.
The book sets the stage in the US with a history lesson, and includes some information I haven't come across previously. It notes in particular age-old efforts, here, as early as the nineteenth-century, by early weather scholars, including US Army Signal Service astronomer Cleveland Abbe, the Chief Meteorologist with the US Weather Bureau, at that time an agency within the USDA, where he remained in government service until his death in 1916. The logical thinking at the time was that weather research should remain within the auspices of the US government. Things took a turn with the advent of commercial aviation, when another pioneer founded the National Weather and Aviation School in Michigan.
The USDA's weather bureau had formerly been mostly concerned with flood warnings, which it had started issuing in the early 20th century. Not only were US scientists studying weather phenomena, however: the "air mass theory," or the concept of warm and cold fronts, now universally accepted, was actually developed in Norway. Unfortunately, failure to acknowledge this vital research may have cost hundreds of lives, especially on one afternoon in March, 1925, when the Weather Bureau called for rains and shifting winds. The storm produced something far more devastating, however, specifically the most deadly tornado in recorded history: the Tri-State Twister tore a 210-mile-long track through Missouri, Indiana and southern Illinois. It was on the ground for a reported 3.5 hours, and moved at twice the speed of any other twister ever recorded. In total, the dead numbered 695: to the present, nigh on a century later, it remains the deadliest in history.
In response, and after a series of deadly hits, the Weather Bureau finally rescinded its blanket ban on the use of the term "tornado" in 1938, but not without resistance: it remained limited to only select, official channels, not for public broadcast. The term "tornado" was not uttered with any regularity by news outlets until the 1960s. Shockingly, despite the mounting casualties, as the population boomed and suburbs after the war meant that increasing numbers of people were moving into the path of the storms, weather stations and news outlets still remained prohibited from warning the public (so much for freedom of the press).
In 1948, two US military figures and weather forecasters, began to change that, however, with their efforts to study tornadoes, after some $10 million in damage was caused to the new Tinker AFB, just south of Oklahoma City, by a tornado in March 1948. Only at the base for three weeks before the event, Capt. Miller and another man, Major E.J. Fawbush, began studying charts and reports from previous tornado outbreaks to try to find some pattern. To everyone's shock, they were actually able to predict a tornado outbreak, for the first time the following year, suggesting that there may be some pattern and predictability to one of nature's most destructive forces. A second tornado at the base a year later caused some $6 million in damage, but not to the planes, which, due to their predictions, had been secured in the hangars and escaped the worst of the damage. A year later, in March, 1949, they issued yet another accurate forecast, setting the stage for what was to come: the scientific study of tornadoes and severe weather.
I won't provide a detailed description of what follows, as I think this sets the scene rather well. The book is well-written overall, and includes a wealth of detailed yet thoroughly digestible information, even for the lay person, but I struggled with the organization somewhat, which I think is its biggest flaw. It jumps back and forth between the history of the study of severe weather, the 1999 event itself, some of the science behind severe storms, and the influential figures who studied them, such as Fujita and Gary England, weatherman extraordinaire, who became a household name in Oklahoma for his coverage of the events, including the 1999 tornado which is the subject of the book.
The narrative was also somewhat disjointed: the stories of some of those affected by the event are introduced early on in the book, but disappear for entire chapters, making it somewhat challenging to follow the narrative. As opposed to in-depth interviews with survivors and witnesses, the book also relies heavily on what seem to be transcripts of news broadcasts that day, and perhaps newspaper snippets with statements from survivors and family members. This book and those like it are not for the faint of heart, but it's still inspiring to read of the stories of the survivors and their resilience, and of the men and women who continue their life's work of research to develop even better early warning systems, which is a major step in making tornado deaths a thing of the past.
July 9, 2020
On May 3, 1999, Oklahoma saw multiple tornadoes, including one of the biggest to hit a city. All the years leading up to it, though, had meteorologists, most notably Ted Fujita (Mr. Tornado), studying tornadoes. This helped with warnings (although for a long time in history until the 1950s (after another deadly tornado in 1947), weather forecasters were not even allowed to say the word “tornado”!) that could help people take cover. The book not only looks at the tornado in 1999 (and the one in 1947), but also looks at the history of weather forecasting – with a focus on tornadoes – and at the life of Ted Fujita (who created the Fujita scale).
It got a bit bogged down in the history at the start of the book (but, I was also having trouble finding larger chunks of time to read, which can help me focus), but it got better as the book went on. Of course, when we hit the 1999 tornado, no question – this was the best part of the book. I still found the rest quite interesting, though
It got a bit bogged down in the history at the start of the book (but, I was also having trouble finding larger chunks of time to read, which can help me focus), but it got better as the book went on. Of course, when we hit the 1999 tornado, no question – this was the best part of the book. I still found the rest quite interesting, though
November 28, 2023
This is a solid look at the entirety of this storm's life, complete with a well-researched and in-depth look at the history of tornado study itself. As a child I was utterly obsessed with tornados (still am, obviously) and I actually remember seeing coverage of this storm and plenty of footage in documentaries over the next several years -- this book even includes a story that I recognised as something I've seen footage of. I've never looked into this spate of tornados in this much detail before, and indeed a lot of the science and understanding of it wasn't there or was only in the fledgling stages back when it was first on my radar, so this was a fascinating read packed with plenty of new information and a decent refresher course on the things I already knew.
I don't know if this would be good for the more casual reader -- it's very easy to follow and the language isn't complicated at all, but the science takes up a significantly larger portion than the stories of survivors or what it was like within the tornado itself, and I recognise that meteorology is not for everyone (and especially not for leisure reading). Still, if you did decide to pick it up, you won't find it dry or confusing at all. There's just a lot of scientific information and history packed into this book and if you're more focused on the human stories, you'll find less of it here.
Naturally, being both fascinated by the human impact of these storms and by the science behind them, I had an interesting time reading this. The one complaint I have is that sometimes the names required me to have to flip back and forth a few times -- sometimes last names were used, other times first names, and sometimes names were mentioned suddenly and it wasn't immediately clear who it was. It wasn't anything majorly inconvenient, but it was something I noticed.
I don't know if this would be good for the more casual reader -- it's very easy to follow and the language isn't complicated at all, but the science takes up a significantly larger portion than the stories of survivors or what it was like within the tornado itself, and I recognise that meteorology is not for everyone (and especially not for leisure reading). Still, if you did decide to pick it up, you won't find it dry or confusing at all. There's just a lot of scientific information and history packed into this book and if you're more focused on the human stories, you'll find less of it here.
Naturally, being both fascinated by the human impact of these storms and by the science behind them, I had an interesting time reading this. The one complaint I have is that sometimes the names required me to have to flip back and forth a few times -- sometimes last names were used, other times first names, and sometimes names were mentioned suddenly and it wasn't immediately clear who it was. It wasn't anything majorly inconvenient, but it was something I noticed.
February 23, 2021
I am always interested in disaster books, so I picked this one up just because. It is amazing to see the power of nature and the devastation that it can cause. This book was about a vicious tornado that wreaked havoc. It was pretty good, especially for the seventy five cents I paid for it.
January 19, 2016
Powerful book!Did a wonderful job of telling this horrible story.
December 3, 2024
I had really mixed feelings about this book. I lived in Moore for several years, so stories about the tornados that have impacted the community hit close to home. However, this book did not focus on that sense of community. Instead, it harped on Ted Fujita for a very large chunk of the book. It was jarring to read about a horrendous experience on May 3rd, only to be thrown into a story about how Fujita saw his first tornado years before. Quite frankly, it seemed tone-deaf. I love reading about history of meteorology, but I felt that the history overshadowed the stories of survivors and those lost on this day. There was hardly any time spent on the actual tornado events and survivor stories. The author had a difficult time finding flow within the text. The constant jumping back and forth between people and dates was distracting and it took a second to get in the right headspace. The author’s detailing of the tornado path was also confusing. They jumped back and forth between cities instead of going in chronological order. For those not familiar with the area, this could be very confusing. It is clear that the author did a lot of research for this book, but I couldn’t help but notice the misspelling of Kelley Elementary school. A minor detail, but it added on to my overall impression that the author didn’t care about the community as much as they cared about the retelling of Fujita’s life story. Perhaps this book would have read better under a different thesis that focused on meteorological history, rather than claiming to be a book about May 3rd, 1999.
As an Oklahoma native, it is my opinion that this author missed the mark on the cultural significance of tornados and the impact that May 3rd had on Oklahomans. To this day, Oklahomans still talk about May 3rd and how it impacted them. It still impacts survivors today.
As an Oklahoma native, it is my opinion that this author missed the mark on the cultural significance of tornados and the impact that May 3rd had on Oklahomans. To this day, Oklahomans still talk about May 3rd and how it impacted them. It still impacts survivors today.
July 22, 2025
This is a marvelously informative book about tornadoes. Starts with the author growing up in Oklahoma living with her grandmother and the grandmother’s spring ritual of cleaning out the root cellar of varmints and getting it ready in case of tornadoes. Then it looks at the early efforts to detect tornadoes and the fact that weather forecaster were forbidden by the government to use the word ‘tornado’. Tells of the involvement and life of Dr Fujita who evolved the F ratings for tornadoes. The government dragged its feet (per usual) in permitting the use of the word and in getting the equipment necessary to track storms (i.e. Doppler radar and updated computer systems) that many TV stations and areas already had. Oklahoma had a mesonet system that someone had organized in that part of the state and another local system in place to direct rescue efforts. This paid off when the May 3 supercells struck. Tornado warnings were constantly issued for 11 hours because when one fizzled out, it immediately revived and set down another. Over a hundred warnings were issued that day - more than half the amount the whole year before.
There were far fewer deaths than expected from the violence of the storms because of the advance warning most people had to take shelter. Tells of the importance of storm chasers connected with the television weather forecaster to warn of the route, size and intensity of the storm. Also reports on more recent research being done in the effort to find what causes a tornado - and the information being discovered is not what is commonly believed.
This book is well worth reading for the information revealed and the truths it reveals about tornadoes - and people.
There were far fewer deaths than expected from the violence of the storms because of the advance warning most people had to take shelter. Tells of the importance of storm chasers connected with the television weather forecaster to warn of the route, size and intensity of the storm. Also reports on more recent research being done in the effort to find what causes a tornado - and the information being discovered is not what is commonly believed.
This book is well worth reading for the information revealed and the truths it reveals about tornadoes - and people.
January 19, 2023
When we sailed Quest to the Caribbean, we watched the weather regularly on SSB and weather radio for wind and wave forecasts. We experienced category five hurricane Ivan in Grenada. But it wasn't until we moved to Tennessee that we learned to watch the weather for tornadoes and learned of their terrors.
'Storm Warning' gave us a terrific overview of tornado forecasting, an ability which only began in 1948. The book covers tornado forecasting history, tools and the ground-breaking meteorologists who discovered and use them. Much to my surprise, tornadoes are uniquely North America phenomenon thanks to the combination of weather factors that usually only come together in the Great Plains and Southeast of the United States. And we learn that it was the study of tornadoes that resulted in chaos theory's butterfly effect, from the miniscule change of a rounding factor that could explain a tornado forming or not forming! 'Storm Warning' also dramatically allows the reader to feel what it's like to be in some of the most catastrophic tornadoes in American history. I never understood the need for storm chasers before or why it's so difficult for forecasters to predict tornadoes, but I do now. And I sure have a new appreciation of their dangers.
Where ever you live, be prepared for this spring's tornado season and be grateful for the tools that allow meteorologists to save you from life-threatening disasters.
'Storm Warning' gave us a terrific overview of tornado forecasting, an ability which only began in 1948. The book covers tornado forecasting history, tools and the ground-breaking meteorologists who discovered and use them. Much to my surprise, tornadoes are uniquely North America phenomenon thanks to the combination of weather factors that usually only come together in the Great Plains and Southeast of the United States. And we learn that it was the study of tornadoes that resulted in chaos theory's butterfly effect, from the miniscule change of a rounding factor that could explain a tornado forming or not forming! 'Storm Warning' also dramatically allows the reader to feel what it's like to be in some of the most catastrophic tornadoes in American history. I never understood the need for storm chasers before or why it's so difficult for forecasters to predict tornadoes, but I do now. And I sure have a new appreciation of their dangers.
Where ever you live, be prepared for this spring's tornado season and be grateful for the tools that allow meteorologists to save you from life-threatening disasters.
October 27, 2021
Not only does Nancy Mathis provide a detailed narrative of the events surrounding the massive F5 tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma on May 3, 1999, she also provides some history of the evolution of weather research and forecasting of tornadoes as well as the evolution of our understanding of how they form and what makes them tick. Within this historical account is the story of "Mr. Tornado" Ted Fujita, the one who gave us the Fujita Scale and who perhaps influenced our understanding of twisters more than anyone before or since.
The survivors' descriptions of the events that day are gut-wrenching. The terror is palpable. And the raw power of the tornado-with wind speeds of 300 mph-is inconceivable. It peeled back a one inch thick layer of pavement, embedded the heel of a terrycloth house slipper one inch deep into the steel-belted tire of a Corvette, lifted the roof off one house and set it down on top of a neighboring house without disturbing any objects in the house the roof belonged to, and left a horse running blindly through a pasture having sucked its eyeballs from its head.
I've seen my share of YouTube videos about the destruction wrought by tornadoes particularly the monster that hit Moore. But reading this account provided a frighteningly, unforgettable perspective.
The survivors' descriptions of the events that day are gut-wrenching. The terror is palpable. And the raw power of the tornado-with wind speeds of 300 mph-is inconceivable. It peeled back a one inch thick layer of pavement, embedded the heel of a terrycloth house slipper one inch deep into the steel-belted tire of a Corvette, lifted the roof off one house and set it down on top of a neighboring house without disturbing any objects in the house the roof belonged to, and left a horse running blindly through a pasture having sucked its eyeballs from its head.
I've seen my share of YouTube videos about the destruction wrought by tornadoes particularly the monster that hit Moore. But reading this account provided a frighteningly, unforgettable perspective.
July 17, 2024
On May 3, 1999, one of the most violent tornadoes in US history smashed through the towns of Bridge Creek, Moore, and Del City within the Oklahoma City metro. Packing winds over 300 mph, this F-5 tornado has cemented itself in meteorological legend.
Nancy Mathias writes about the tornado and the experiences of those who forecasted it and lived through it. However, the book for the most part uses it as a backdrop to explore tornadoes as a whole and the history of tornado research and meteorology.
The book interweaves many stories into one: the formation of the National Weather Service, evolution of tornado research, the birth of tornado warnings, the changing face of broadcast meteorology, the life and accomplishments of Dr. Ted Fujita, the meteorology behind May 3, 1999 and the tornado itself. Among others. Its not just a book on Moore, but a book on meteorology itself. Some may find the context and background information too much, I'd say roughly 60% of the book is other stories. However, as someone who loves context I did not mind at all.
My only critique of this book is it does get a bit disjointed at times and the organization could use some tweaks. Overall it was a great book and I do recommend it!
Nancy Mathias writes about the tornado and the experiences of those who forecasted it and lived through it. However, the book for the most part uses it as a backdrop to explore tornadoes as a whole and the history of tornado research and meteorology.
The book interweaves many stories into one: the formation of the National Weather Service, evolution of tornado research, the birth of tornado warnings, the changing face of broadcast meteorology, the life and accomplishments of Dr. Ted Fujita, the meteorology behind May 3, 1999 and the tornado itself. Among others. Its not just a book on Moore, but a book on meteorology itself. Some may find the context and background information too much, I'd say roughly 60% of the book is other stories. However, as someone who loves context I did not mind at all.
My only critique of this book is it does get a bit disjointed at times and the organization could use some tweaks. Overall it was a great book and I do recommend it!
April 4, 2022
I’ve been a weather nerd for almost my entire life, and this book was an excellent look, not just at a single event (May 1999 tornado outbreak in Oklahoma), but also the development in tornado forecasting and research. By bouncing back and forth from the present to the past, the book does a great job in highlighting the significance of each development in tornado research, while clearly highlighting the need for further developments, especially in building construction (at least at the time the book was published. While my review might make this seem like a boring, straightforward account of facts and dates, Mathis does an excellent job in weaving together a story that is incredibly captivating.
August 3, 2018
I really enjoyed learning about Fujita’s life and discoveries. However, although the description does say it alternates between what happened that day and the history of weather prediction, I would say it lays much heavier on the side of history, which was not what I was looking for.
Because of this back and forth, the timeline jumps around a bit which at times was confusing. The people and their stories were hard to keep straight as well. Perhaps if more time was dedicated to their stories unfolding, creating a connection between reader and story, it would have been easier to follow.
Because of this back and forth, the timeline jumps around a bit which at times was confusing. The people and their stories were hard to keep straight as well. Perhaps if more time was dedicated to their stories unfolding, creating a connection between reader and story, it would have been easier to follow.
June 26, 2021
This was more like a biography of Ted Fujita than it was an in-depth look at the Bridge Creek/Moore tornado of '99. While I found some anecdotes riveting, like the starburst patterns at Nagasaki or the disdain for storm-chasing tourists crowding up roads, it was mostly dry and disorganized. We don't even encounter the titular storm until page 96, and even then, we are constantly given each character's pedigree and chronology, which takes away from the actual event, I think. Loose ends not tied. People overfleshed or under- portrayed. Not bad, but not what I thought it would be.
January 16, 2022
This book was interesting, and you learned a lot about various weather researchers, and Ted Fujita in particular. While many local people were included, you did not feel like you were able to get to know them, as in the book "What stands in a storm". In that book, you had a much better connection with the people and their experience. In this book and that one, I took away one star for a complete lack of photographs, which would have helped bring the descriptions to life.
March 3, 2024
This book gave a fascinating history of storm prediction and tornado science in a way other books have not. I loved how the author wove so many elements of research and work done well ahead of 1999 into the way that day came together. It told the emotional stories, while giving a well-earned nod to the scientists and meteorologists who have dedicated their lives to keeping others safe. If you’re a science and weather lover, this is a good read.
January 10, 2025
This book was not what I expected it to be. I figured it was a book just about the tornado itself and damage/survivors stories.
Instead what I got was a whole history on meteorology and how long it took for them to get to where they are now in being able to give such long warning time before some storms hit. Some are still so random there is no warning time. It was such an informative book and I enjoyed it.
Instead what I got was a whole history on meteorology and how long it took for them to get to where they are now in being able to give such long warning time before some storms hit. Some are still so random there is no warning time. It was such an informative book and I enjoyed it.
October 8, 2025
A very informative story of the tornados of its time! It gave great insight and complements the tornado story in "Trifecta" 31 Years of 26.2: Chronicles of a Marathoner, by David Hamel. His return drive from a marathon and taking cover in the town of Mulhall were incredible. The devastation and paths of the storms in 1999 written by Nancy Mathis were quite revealing on pages 145 & 146. Quite a compelling read!
January 24, 2025
A truly enjoyable work of non-fiction. Its like a meteorological The Hot Zone. Reads like a fictional narrative, exploring the history of tornado predictions before integrating that information, plus basic storm dynamics, and integrates all the information into a specific date: 5/3/99, the date of the strongest storm to hit A metropolitan area with an EF-5 monster.
March 11, 2025
An excellent retelling of the horrors of the May 3, 1999 outbreak that includes the F5 that hit Moore, Oklahoma. My only criticism for this book is that it kept jumping back and forth in time when trying to cover the history of forecasting and the outbreak, rather than telling the story chronologically.
March 14, 2025
Just wow!
I watch many videos of OK tornados and greatly admire the storm chasers and TV weather men. This is a great book for non scientists to understand the history of forecasting and some of the worst of the worst tornadoes. Highly recommend! Will recommend in comments of videos I watch.
I watch many videos of OK tornados and greatly admire the storm chasers and TV weather men. This is a great book for non scientists to understand the history of forecasting and some of the worst of the worst tornadoes. Highly recommend! Will recommend in comments of videos I watch.
May 20, 2025
If i could have given this book 10 stars I would have. I love weather watching and learning about natural disasters. I picked up this book to learn more about a killer tornado. I learned so much more and had fun doing it! This book gives the history of storm warnings, Dr. Fugita's damage scale and how to understand storm chasers lingo. excellent book.
May 3, 2020
This book was just okay. I think I would have liked it better if it gave more about the Moore tornado and less about Dr. Fujita. And a lot of the information was outdated, but I can somewhat overlook that since it was last updated in 2007.
May 12, 2021
Very Good Read
The author not only balanced science, weather data, human interest and chronological events as they occurred with this storm, but kept the narrative flow even and interesting. Very informative work.
The author not only balanced science, weather data, human interest and chronological events as they occurred with this storm, but kept the narrative flow even and interesting. Very informative work.
July 17, 2024
Nancy Mathis tells the story of May 3, 1999 in Moore Oklahoma. Fascinating read and also very interesting to me as I was an "Okie" for over 20 years. If you're interested in meteorology and history, I highly recommend this.
August 16, 2013
I grew up in tornado alley; my parents still live in the Northwest Missouri home I was raised in and when I was home last month we had several evenings of tornado warnings, marathon weather broadcasts (which my family watches and discusses without fail), and unfortunately three deaths a few short miles from extended family. This brief lapse back in to the tumultuous weather of Missouri was extremely reminiscent of the first 23 years of my life prior to my relocation to the east coast, weather that continuously terrifies me while inspiring awe at the power and unpredictability of mother nature. I eagerly picked up this book to learn more about the inner workings of tornadoes and to read about the Oklahoma twisters of May 3, 1999, that I remember and are touted on the book cover.
Perhaps my expectations were too high but this book was a huge disappointment. First of all, the organization was non-existent; the book covered the history of weather forecasting for pretty much the entire 20th century, the surface stories of many important forecasters and chasers (most predominantly Fujita of the F0-F5 tornado classification scale), and the story of May 3, 1999. All of these aspects were interesting but tidbits of information on each seemed to be inserted at whim throughout the story making it nearly impossible to follow a time- or storyline.
I felt the author didn't fully dive into any of the topics so the book seemed superficial and only skimmed the surface of the lives and accomplishments of the real-life characters. She was unsuccessful in developing stories that created an emotional connection to the people who lived through these horrible disasters because she wrote with such clinical detachment, an impressive accomplishment given that the stories are heartwrenching (is discomplishment a word? It would apply here). She also failed to follow up on the fates of many people whose flights from the path of destruction she had described.
The story of the May 3, 1999, tornadoes was prominently displayed on the book cover but was barely even mentioned until halfway through after which it was interesting but brief. However, this storyline is the only thing saving the book from the dreaded 1 rating. Other than these 30 or so pages I was uninspired to continue reading despite learning a bit about the meteorological ingredients needed to spawn tornadoes. Helpful tips for Ms. Mathis' next book: 1) diagrams when describing complex scientific phenomena are worth more than a thousand words, and 2) when using the plethora of acronyms that form the alphabet soup of government agencies, an index of their meaning and a brief description drastically helps the reader.
If you're interested in tornadoes, there has to be better books out there!
Perhaps my expectations were too high but this book was a huge disappointment. First of all, the organization was non-existent; the book covered the history of weather forecasting for pretty much the entire 20th century, the surface stories of many important forecasters and chasers (most predominantly Fujita of the F0-F5 tornado classification scale), and the story of May 3, 1999. All of these aspects were interesting but tidbits of information on each seemed to be inserted at whim throughout the story making it nearly impossible to follow a time- or storyline.
I felt the author didn't fully dive into any of the topics so the book seemed superficial and only skimmed the surface of the lives and accomplishments of the real-life characters. She was unsuccessful in developing stories that created an emotional connection to the people who lived through these horrible disasters because she wrote with such clinical detachment, an impressive accomplishment given that the stories are heartwrenching (is discomplishment a word? It would apply here). She also failed to follow up on the fates of many people whose flights from the path of destruction she had described.
The story of the May 3, 1999, tornadoes was prominently displayed on the book cover but was barely even mentioned until halfway through after which it was interesting but brief. However, this storyline is the only thing saving the book from the dreaded 1 rating. Other than these 30 or so pages I was uninspired to continue reading despite learning a bit about the meteorological ingredients needed to spawn tornadoes. Helpful tips for Ms. Mathis' next book: 1) diagrams when describing complex scientific phenomena are worth more than a thousand words, and 2) when using the plethora of acronyms that form the alphabet soup of government agencies, an index of their meaning and a brief description drastically helps the reader.
If you're interested in tornadoes, there has to be better books out there!
September 18, 2014
I liked this a lot and usually felt I was in the hands of a fine journalist. Here's some lines of hers on meteorologist Roger Edwards:
At age nine, he saw his first tornado, a distant twister he glimpsed between houses as it loped through northern Dallas. Ignoring his mother's shouts to come inside, Roger ran down the street to keep it in view. It was his first tornado chase.... He did so many school science projects on tornadoes that his teachers finally forbade it, so he did one on hurricanes.
I get that kid--don't you? I can see that. I can fill in details all around it. That's good writing.
The problems with the book are mostly not the author's fault. For one thing, the cover blurb says the book is about the 1999 Oklahoma tornado, and it's only 1/4 to 1/3 that. It's about the science of forecasting, as well, and about a much older Oklahoma tornado. (I suspect this was the publisher's choice, to try and make it seem more focused, rather than the author's choice.) A second problem is the lack of photos or illustrations. (there are two in the whole book.) The publisher is at fault here, and should have sprang for a signature of at least black and white photos--the people, models of a forming tornado, pictures of the tornado, pictures of the devastation.
The author made me think of the golden days of American journalism, in the late 70's, early 80's, when newspapers were healthy and solvent, when not only the NY Times was good but plenty of middle-size-town papers, the writing was crisp and affecting. (It made me mourn those days, too.)
By the end, I felt very bad for the people she profiled who lost loved ones--she didn't tie it up tidily, but left me with the impression that these people would never forget, never fully heal, would go to their graves thinking just what they thought as children or young adults: "I should have held on tighter."
At age nine, he saw his first tornado, a distant twister he glimpsed between houses as it loped through northern Dallas. Ignoring his mother's shouts to come inside, Roger ran down the street to keep it in view. It was his first tornado chase.... He did so many school science projects on tornadoes that his teachers finally forbade it, so he did one on hurricanes.
I get that kid--don't you? I can see that. I can fill in details all around it. That's good writing.
The problems with the book are mostly not the author's fault. For one thing, the cover blurb says the book is about the 1999 Oklahoma tornado, and it's only 1/4 to 1/3 that. It's about the science of forecasting, as well, and about a much older Oklahoma tornado. (I suspect this was the publisher's choice, to try and make it seem more focused, rather than the author's choice.) A second problem is the lack of photos or illustrations. (there are two in the whole book.) The publisher is at fault here, and should have sprang for a signature of at least black and white photos--the people, models of a forming tornado, pictures of the tornado, pictures of the devastation.
The author made me think of the golden days of American journalism, in the late 70's, early 80's, when newspapers were healthy and solvent, when not only the NY Times was good but plenty of middle-size-town papers, the writing was crisp and affecting. (It made me mourn those days, too.)
By the end, I felt very bad for the people she profiled who lost loved ones--she didn't tie it up tidily, but left me with the impression that these people would never forget, never fully heal, would go to their graves thinking just what they thought as children or young adults: "I should have held on tighter."
May 20, 2013
A good read - initially distracting in that way that it outlined/foreshadowed events and then jumped forward/backward to pick up another storyline. Once I got into the rhythm the book became enthralling. It outlines not only events on May 3, 1999, but the history of the study of tornadoes. The book would not have been as good without it. It was surprising to read that the NWS had once banned tornado warnings because they felt the populus would react with panic. How many lives could have been saved had there been other decisions? The good news is that we learn with each event and hopefully the death toll reflects that wisdom. A good read for anyone with an interest in weather.
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