It is always a pleasure to be able to review a book that is well written and has a fresh point of view. One might call Dr. Joel Myers' book,  Invisible Iceberg,  the first biography of weather. It begins with the role of weather in the extinction of the dinosaurs and “Noah’s” flood and gradually takes us into modern times including a fascinating look at how weather affected the sinking of the Titanic , the assassination of President Kennedy, and September 11 th .    Joel is a brilliant man and the meteorological entrepreneur of AccuWeather (AW) and I had hoped for years he would write a book. It was worth waiting for. Joel was my boss when I sold the assets of WeatherData, Inc. to AW in 2006 and went to work for his company (I retired in 2018).   Each chapter is an easy read; usually 2-6 pages and I’ve learned a lot reading it. I thought I knew, for example, how the weather affected the sinking of the  Titanic,  but it turns out there is much more than...

Before reading Part II, I hope that you will take the time to read Part I . Accurate and timely weather forecasting and storm warnings (ask the people of southern Appalachia!) are vital to the safety and prosperity of our nation.  As I was reading Ryan's op-ed in yesterday's New York Times  I was surprised, even shocked, by some of the reader comments. So, I decided to take those comments and clarify some of the issues brought up by the Times'  readers. These topics are in no order: Forecast Accuracy NOAA is not the most accurate source of weather forecasts or even storm warnings. You can verify this for yourself by going to Forecast Advisor and enter your Zip Code (see below, highlighted in red). Yes, there are many weather apps that aren't worth a darn. But, I would check out the ones that consistently provide consistently superior forecasts for your location.  Specialized Forecasting While NWS should provide generalized marine forecasts (that is part of its manda...

... you may enjoy my books.  Both are available at Amazon: Here are links to  Warnings  and Sirens . Please check them out. 

Stock Photography If your business needs stock photography, please check out my collection at Adobe Stock Photography .  Books If you enjoy this blog, you'll enjoy our books.  Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather  is the story of how weather scientists created the storm warning system that saves thousands of lives each year. Think about the 1888 " Children's Blizzard ," which killed at least 235. Last week's blizzard was, meteorologically, quite similar to the 1888 storm but, thanks to warnings  days  in advance , the death toll was in the single digits.  Warnings  is written in the style of a novel but it is all true.  When the Sirens Were Silent  is the story of the Joplin Tornado, which killed 161 people -- by far the worst single tornado since civilian tornado warnings began in 157. The warning program didn't function properly that day and that failure demonstrates the vital nature of storm warnings. When they work p...

As we approach the Christmas season, I would like to remind you of my two books: Warnings  and When the Sirens Were Silent . If you enjoy reading this blog, you will love the books. Samples of my photography at Adobe Stock We also have a significant, and growing, portfolio of photography at Adobe Stock Photography. Please check them out . 

James is an international business consultant and I certainly appreciate his kind remarks.  My book, Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather is here . And, its companion book, When the Sirens Were Silent  is here . With regard to the latter book, the paper book sold out a long time ago. But, you can still read it without a Kindle by using the Amazon Cloud Reader.  If your company would like assistance weatherproofing your business, please go here . I'd be happy to talk with you. 

If you enjoy reading this blog and my comprehensive coverage of storms, we'd appreciate it if you would consider the other offerings from Mike Smith Enterprises .  Stock Photography   While much of the nation is shivering and suffering from icy conditions, we are approaching spring. If you need stock photography, I hope you will consider my collection at Adobe Stock Photography .   If you are looking for editorial photography, my Shutterstock collection is here .  Books With spring storms in the future, it is a great time of year to read Warnings  and When the Sirens Were Silent. Warnings  is the exciting, true story (told in novel form) of the development of the storm warning system and how some of the worst storms in recent history evolved.  How was it that a train, going 70 mph, was stopped from going over this washout? Modern meteorology is the answer. That's the story told in Warnings.  When the Sirens Were Silent  is the story of the 20...

A new fiction book is coming out that is based on an alleged global warming future.  The blurb for the book says,  Florida is slipping away. As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels wreak gradual havoc on the state’s infrastructure, a powerful hurricane approaches a small town on the southeastern coast...   The Light Pirate  mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the sometimes quick, sometimes slow dissolution of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we would rather not see, the future we would rather not greet, and a call back to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness. That completely unsupported position ("Florida is slipping away") comes from fake news reports like this on NPR  which completely misstate the science.  There is no evidence hurricanes are getting worse  (see link above and the graphs below). Major hurricanes (Cat 3 to Cat 5) are the type of hurricane referred to in The Light Pirate. ...

Hello, Librarians. The new version of Significant Tornadoes  will be an absolutely necessary, and popular, book for your collection. Details are her e .  I have the original and it is terrific. 

Today is the first day of hurricane season, tornado season continues, and a major drought continues to threaten water and power supplies in the West. If you enjoy this blog,  Mike Smith Enterprises  has a variety of ways we serve people who have business interests involving weather.  Photography You can see my photos at Adobe Stock Photography,  here . Whether advertising or editorial, we have photos that will suit your needs.  For my illustrative editorial photos (such as the state of the 2022 wheat crop), go  here . Books Warnings   tells the story of how meteorologists like Dr. Ted Fujita and other brilliant, courageous scientists eliminated downburst airliner crashes, cut the tornado death rate by 95%, and other amazing accomplishments. It is an uplifting story that reads like a novel. From a new review at Amazon:  The book is easily readable and very informative. It is a keeper for my library. Great job. "An Important Read..." -- Washington P...

If you enjoy this blog, Mike Smith Enterprises has a variety of ways we serve people who have interests in weather.  Photography You can see my photos at Adobe Stock Photography, here . Whether advertising or editorial, we have photos that will suit your needs.  Books Warnings tells the story of how meteorologists like Dr. Ted Fujita and other brilliant, courageous scientists eliminated downburst airliner crashes, cut the tornado death rate by 95%, and other amazing accomplishments. It is an uplifting story that reads like a novel. From a new review at Amazon:  The book is easily readable and very informative. It is a keeper for my library. Great job. When the Sirens Were Silent   is the true story of the Joplin Tornado -- one of the worst in history. It also includes vital safety information for you and your family. Tornado Season 2022 is just underway as we saw last week. More tornadoes are quite likely this week. Please take the tornado safety advice to he...

When the movie October Sky  was released in 1999, I couldn't wait to see it. It is the autobiographical story of Homer Hickam, Jr and his friends building rockets in a small West Virginia coal town (Coalwood, to be exact). As a "science geek" in junior and high school (meteorology and, yes, two friends and I built rockets one summer), I certainly empathized with the story.  October Sky  exceeded all of my expectations; so much so that I later read and loved the book upon which it is based, Rocket Boys  (The reason the movie had a different name is because there was a low-budget movie about Elton John in process. The the producers of Sky  thought there may be confusion). I loved the book, too.  At the end of the movie, it is revealed that Homer became an engineer for NASA training astronauts. Homer also became a prolific best-selling author. But, there was a hole in Homer's story: what happened in his life after high school? Now, we know the answers. They ar...

I was so excited to read Liftoff ,  which is the story of the creation of SpaceX, that I saved it for my vacation so I could give it my full attention. I wasn't disappointed. It is a story worthy of the company.  My only nit is that I wish author Eric Berger had covered the "Starman" being launched in a Tesla on top of a Falcon Heavy rocket into a orbit around the sun. Given that Starman was followed by twin rockets landing at Cape Canaveral, it seemed like it was well worth covering. You would never have seen NASA do something like that.  I rate the book 4.8 stars. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. 

Looking for a great book while you are avoiding people? In this situation where we are trying to ramp up production of medical equipment, the story of how we ramped up production during World War II is not only pertinent, it is fascinating. When Freedom's Forge  came out in 2003, it was one of the rare books I couldn't put down. You probably think, how could a story about industry during a war be fascinating? Author Arthur Herman did a great job of weaving in the people (especially Bunky Knudson) who used their ingenuity to not only produce the greatest military force the world has ever known yet still produced a reasonable number of civilian washing machines, automobiles and other goods. Five Stars!

It is always a pleasure to recommend a book on the topic of weather, especially when a friend is the author. James Spann is the chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham and is known for the hundreds of lives saved from his "long form" tornado coverage. Weathering Life  is an autobiography with many interesting stories and vignettes pertaining to his life and career. If you would like to learn what it is like to be a meteorologist specializing in television or are just interested in a good book, I certainly recommend Weathering Life .

From a little while ago on Twitter: The answer is, absolutely! I am about six chapters into book #3 but both Kathleen and I have been dealing with some rather significant issues the last two months. While I cannot speak for other authors, I find I have to get into "writing mode" to do anything productive. Hopefully, things will settle down by Christmas and I can get it finished in the first half of 2020. Thank you for asking. I believe this book, which will be fiction, will be a lot of fun to read. Speaking of my books (see post below), we've sold five in two days and they (as of 1:30pm CST Sunday) are back down to three. So, while I know there are about 50 left in the warehouse (the very last 50 that will be sold at retail) given Amazon's recent issues (see here , among many others), I would recommend you get your order in as quickly as possible. In addition, it can be ordered from your local bookstore and should be available in a week or less.