- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: OUP USA; illustrated edition edition (6 May 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0195105524
- ISBN-13: 978-0195105520
- Product Dimensions: 28.8 x 22.3 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,577,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'... a tour de force with fantastic photographs of tornadoes and storm clouds from his own collection intermingled with an accessible description of tornado science... It is a fine example of how the public understanding of science can be achieved without any 'dumbing down... a gem of a book.' The Times Higher Education Supplement 29/10/99
Product Description
This book documents the violent weather-tornadoes-spawned by severe thunderstorms that strike the Great Plains of the United States. Written by an internationally recognized research scientist, the book presents an historical account of the study of the nature of tornadoes and their origin, describing the first scientifically motivated storm chases in the Great Plains, the use of meteorological Doppler radars and other instrumentation, simulation of storms on computers, and the documentation of weather phenomena during storm chases. Interwoven are stories of serendipitous discoveries, the intense excitement of close encounters with tornadoes, and the agonizing disappointments of unsuccessful chases and equipment failure. Most of all, the book conveys the sense of beauty, elegance, and mystery of the violent weather pursued by the author and his fellow students and scientists. Profusely illustrated with spectacular colour and black-and-white photographs, the book will appeal to the layperson or amateur weather enthusiasts as well as the professional scientist: for the latter, appendices with more detailed discussion of severe weather phenomena are included.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
I WAS A YOUNG CHILD playing outside our house near Boston under a hazy yellow June sky in 1953 when my mother summoned me inside because a tornado had been reported in Worcester, about forty miles to the west. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
I WAS A YOUNG CHILD playing outside our house near Boston under a hazy yellow June sky in 1953 when my mother summoned me inside because a tornado had been reported in Worcester, about forty miles to the west. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A "must have" for anyone intersted in severe weather!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains (Hardcover)
If you find some weather books dull and grey-this is something different!It captures beautifully and vividly the excitement fo witnessing severe storms.It's desciptions are vivid and sometimes humerous and its photos awe inspiring. The technical material is beautifully explained without the aid of mathematics or equations. A true weather classic
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews) 15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Accurate, detailed information relating to severe weather.,
By S. T. Pratt - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains (Hardcover)
I've had an avid interest in meteorology since I was a small child, and my bookcase is full of various weather-related books. However, Howard Bluestein's "Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains" is among my most favorite. While, it's more on the technical side of the topic, it still provides easily understood diagrams and stories about the tremendous storms in the midwest US.Howard Bluestein, a professor at Oklahoma University, is a very experienced and highly regarded severe weather expert. This book definitely does his work and research justice as he walks you through information and stories regarding his experiences. Inserted among the stories are detailed photographs and diagrams, which are displayed in excellent quality. All of the information is technically accurate and it offers a plethora of knowledge about the subject of severe weather and the discipline needed to accomplish the task of researching it in the field. As the book progresses, he slowly eases the reader into the more technical information, so you don't seem deluged by intricate terminology and equations. Overall, this book is extremely helpful for most people. While it may not be suited to those just beginning to learn about meteorology, it is a great source of information for most people who hold an interest. I highly reccommend this book to anyone looking to expand their weather reference collection. 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tornado Alley Is State Of The Art -- From a Fellow Chaser,
By John Monteverdi "Tornado Chaser" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains (Hardcover)
Prof. Bluestein has managed to provide both a sense of the thrill of tornado chasing and a superb treatment of the science issues in the operational and research aspects of tornado understanding. Persons can read the book purely for the "thrill" aspects (and be totally awed by the stunning photographs) and/or can be drawn into this wonderful encapsulization of how the scientific method is yielding "fruit" with respect to our comprehension of supercells and tornadoes. I am using this book in my present non-majors "disasters" class and intend to use it as supplementary reading in my Severe Weather Seminar. I have been chasing since 1985 and know Howie well. Congratulations on an excellent contribution.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exactly what I was looking for!,
By Natalie Kilpatrick - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains (Hardcover)
After searching and searching and searching, never finding the technical descriptions of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that I wanted, I finally decided to check this book out after reading Sean Pratt's customer review on March 11, 2001. I was so excited about what I had heard that I had the book shipped Next Day Air. I'll tell you what, that extra fourteen dollars was well worth it! Never have I found a book that I thought to be so informative, descriptive, well illustrated and gorgeous photos. If I could have, I'd have given this book six stars instead of five!No, this book is not for someone who wants to just look at pictures and not care on how storms and tornadoes develop, the history of warning systems, etc. This book is for the serious storm enthusiasts. This book is actually better than I thought it would be. After purchasing other books on tornadoes, they mostly show pretty pictures of the different types of tornadoes or pretty pictures of supercells... Nuh-uh. Not this book. Although some of those pretty pictures are still there, there are far more charts, diagrams and tables to be relied upon. "Tornado Alley" also concentrates highly upon the history of weather services, from the first tornado warning (hey, I did know that the first tornado warning went out over 50 years ago, but I DIDN'T know that it was private and not allowed to go public. Saying tornado on the television was like cussing!), to TOTO (the real DOROTHY from Twister), I just can't tell you everything there is to this book. It's simply unbelievable, that a book like this made it into my hands. I cannot stress enough on how scientific this book is compared to what some people would believe to be cool. It'll take you into serious depths of storm development, etc. You just really have to have it. This book has not earned a place on my bookshelf, however, it has earned a place next to my bed. Don't wait, get it today! You won't be let down if you want more than pretty pictures! ~Natalie Kilpatrick |
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