Customer Reviews

Authors of the Storm: Meteorologists and the Culture of Prediction

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a NWS meteorologist with over 20 years on the job, I was fascinated to read Mr. Fine's account of the job we do at the NWS. Mr Fine has captured the essence and nuances of the job, and the struggles, both meteorological and social that we face when issuing a forecast. He obviously had free access to the offices and was able to ingratiate himself with the forecasters, because he got candid and honest observations from the staff. His analysis of the internal and external pressure placed on the offices to produce a good product (if not accurate) was spot on. If you are outside of the NWS, and wish to look in, this book is for you. If you are in the NWS and want an accurate, unblinking review of your colleagues, you have it here. Well done Mr. Fine; an excellent book.

I consider myself to be at the very least a weather enthusiast (and at the very most: a closet meteorologist). This book is excellent at explaining the finner details of NOAA and the events that occur in order for the public to receive accurate predictions. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a curiosity about the weather or about the events that transpire in the NOAA offices to make an accurate forecast. The reader can without a doubt tell that Fine spent many months investigating various NOAA offices, and it shows in his work. Since this book was more directed toward a sociology crowd, there are a few words that might have little meaning to everyday reader, yet I would still recommend this book for its honest narrative of one of the best run bureaucracies (as reported by Fine on several occasions) in the American government system.