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Title: The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm
ISBN: 0806135387
Author:
Thomas P. Grazulis
Publicate Date: 2003-02
Publish: 2003-02
List Price: $19.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $10.00
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.86
Amazon Merchant Price: $14.96
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| Customer Review: |
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1: A Great Book On The Basics Of Tornadoes
Written primarily for the layperson, The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm won't disappoint you if you're curious about the most enigmatic of atmospheric phenomenon. Grazulis is well known for his historical tornado data work (and has done a stellar job of it too) and has taken much of his knowledge, put it into this book, and made it accessible for the non-scientist. People like myself who are knowledgeable in the atmospheric sciences may find the book a bit basic, but we're not the target audience. Regardless of your knowledge, this book is an attractive read. In the light of the revision of the old Fujita scale of tornado intensity, I'd like to see a revised edition published.
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2: Tornado facts and future directions
For a relatively small number of Americans each year a tornado will threaten life and result in a life-changing loss of possessions and property. A greater number will observe the phenomenon but, as luck would have it, remain scared but unscathed. However to the vast majority a tornado is nothing more than a compelling news item on television which highlights the casualties, personal losses and structural damage. This is reinforced by the compulsory 30 second sound bite by someone who has lost everything but survived and another who lived nearby but remains intact. The video from the chasers is breath taking but accompanied by the standard script of 'Oh my god...Oh my god...guys...Holey crap...guys...'
As I write this (May 2008) the tornados currently in Oklahoma have all of these elements. So far this year America has had 103 tornado deaths and this is alarming.
Grazulis has written with a wonderful balance of narrative and scientific text. A reader is drawn through the chapters and will come away better informed on tornados, their cause, observation, classification, magnitude and probability. The relatively small probability of any one person or any one building being struck in any year seems to be a risk acceptable to this conditioned society and to the insurance industry. The declining trend in the number of fatalities is attributed to improving meteorology, warning systems and improving design of structures. There is however a hint those tornados could become more frequent and severe with climate change.
Tornados are now better understood because of Grazulis.
Perhaps the book will be the catalyst that motivates scientists, engineers, architects and urban planners to come together to build improved structures and communities so as to better resist the destructive forces of tornados. Otherwise it seems that society will continue to believe that a tornado is an irresistible force. I promote the idea of engineering-out the likelihood of devastating loss. Perhaps we can diminish the likelihood of Americans following Dorothy and Toto to the Land of Oz.
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3: Worth the read and packed with understandable info
I wanted a book for by granddaughter who is 10 and who had expressed an interested in tornadoes. It was, perhaps, a little above her level, however it can be read in parts. I ended up reading the entire thing before I could let go of it to send it on. Puts the tornado,the incidence of seeing one, and the likelihood of experiencing damage all into perspective. Knocks down the myths of tornadoes, when, where and what they strike. A must for any library on meteorology. Sufficient statistics and hard science to satisfy even the already knowledgeable storm chaser.
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4: Exceptionally good introductory book
Since there's a lot of science going on behind tornado occurances -many myths have developed since the phenomena is so scary & hard to explain
Thomas P. Grazillus manages to do just that in this book - explain the science behind the tornado so the average joe could undertand it, while explaining the truth about myths, while trying to understand where these myths have risen from.
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5: Ideal quick reference on tornadoes
From the intorduction, you read that the author's intent with this book was to write a modernized edition of Snowden D. Flora's 1953 book "Tornadoes of the United States" -- which was billed at the time as the first general reference book on tornadoes. In that respect, Tom Grazulis has fully succeeded."The Tornado" covers all the basics about tornadoes, like the highly complicated (and still enigmatic) process of tornado formation, forecasting, historical aspects of tornadoes -- as well as major tornadic events of the past, safety, climatology/frequncy, international frequency and major events, the Fujita scale, myths (more than you might think), and a pleasingly non-sensational chapter on storm chasing. The text is never too complicated, and even the more technical points are easy to understand. The fact that the book is up-to-date is also a plus, as is the scope of the book's coverage. It's also somewhat more relevant to an American audience than Arjen and Jerrine Verkaik's "Under the Whirlwind," which -- though good, and including some of what this book covers -- was written with a Canadian audience in mind. (In which case Canadian readers are advised to read that book before this.) About the only real minus is that there are limited illustrations, and those in the book are black and white. This text accompanied with more -- and color -- illustrations might have been more useful, although in moderation so as not to draw attention away from the text; at any rate a section of color plates would have been a nice addition. That aside, this is a terrific guide to all things relevant (or even just the stuff you might have thought of once!) to tornadoes.
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