I'll be at Barnes & Noble in Bradley Fair, 21st and Rock Road, at 7pm May 6. I'll be doing a reading and signing books. Hope to see you there!

Warnings by Mike Smith featured on the CBS Evening News. It's the season for gifts galore: Mother’s Day, Graduation and Father’s Day are all right around the corner. I’d like you to consider giving a copy of Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather. It is an exciting book to read and readers from 9 years old to 90 years old have told me that they felt like they were in the middle of the storm action. The book is an uplifting story (note: not a heavy “science book”) of how meteorologists unraveled the mystery of storms and applied that knowledge to save lives in tornadoes, hurricanes, and in wind shear dangerous to airliners. While a true story, it is written in the style of a mystery novel and has received excellent reviews. Amazingly, Warnings even anticipated what happened when Lambert Airport in St. Louis Friday evening! A good book is a gift treasured by most people. So, if you enjoy reading this blog or just enjoy a fast-paced, fun book pick up a copy...

Click to enlarge. While the risk of violent tornadoes today is again high, I don't want to overlook the record flooding from the Ozarks to the lower Ohio River Valley. This is a map of rainfall over the last seven days. The red is at least six inches (scale at right). The purple area in southern Missouri, near West Plains, is more than 16 inches!  An additional 2-3" may fall over the next few days.  Rivers are still rising in many areas.

Click to enlarge.  This was another example of pinpoint storm warnings. At left is the tornado about 5 minutes from Vilonia (circled). The "debris ball" (a sure signature a tornado is on the ground) is clearly present (also circled) southwest of the town. At right is the Doppler wind display showing the "couplet" (circled) of rotating winds southwest of the town. Vilonia was under a tornado warning at the time the tornado struck (purple polygon on left image). Our hearts go out to the people of Vionia who lost their homes and loved ones in this storm. But, it likely would have been worse without the advance warnings. With today another "high risk" day, meteorologists who serve these regions are working overtime. I want to salute them for their vital and lifesaving work.

Click to enlarge The severe weather risk area extends from the Gulf to Canada, quite unusual. And, another high risk. Yesterday's high risk day produced 50 reports of tornadoes with considerable damage and injuries (no reports of fatalities, so far). Because these storms are well outside of tornado alley, I urge you to keep up the weather if you live in these areas.

That is the subtitle of a new article from The New Republic . The article laments the lack of progress on 'cap and trade' and other anti-global warming measures. The article examines a number of theories as to why cap and trade didn't pass Congress and become law. Let me offer a theory that is not  offered in the article:  The science underlying cap and trade is badly flawed. People aren't stupid. Blaming record blizzards, record cold, record heat, and drought all on global warming (not to mention hundreds of other maladies including "frogs with extra heads"and "the risk of an asteroid strike") makes no scientific sense. Instinctively, people understand that. We'll know whether global warming is a real problem in another two to four years. If it is, I believe public sentiment toward taking measures against global warming with shift rather significantly. In the meantime, keep an eye out for multi-headed frogs!

...as the beginning of what is known as the Wichita-Andover tornado outbreak. One F-3, one F-4 and two F-5 tornadoes. Three in southern Kansas and one in northern Oklahoma. Tornado approaching Andover Twenty years ago at this time, I was involved in one of the most extraordinary days of my career, the Wichita-Andover tornado. It was the first tornado break of which I am aware that was widely forecast days in advance.   All week, the television meteorologists in Wichita were telling their audiences, “keep an eye on the weather for Friday.”   It was the first time I have ever seen the storm prediction center issue a “particularly dangerous situation” tornado watch (two off these rare watches are in effect as a write this, from Texas to western Tennessee). Thunderstorms began developing at about this time twenty years ago along the Kansas-Oklahoma border southwest of Wichita. I began (WeatherData was doing the on-air weather for KSNW TV, NBC in those days) broadcasting ...