Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado [Hardcover]

Nancy Mathis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

May 3, 1999, is a day that Oklahomans will never forget. By the time the sun set over a ravaged plain, some 71 tornadoes had claimed around 11,000 homes and businesses and caused $1 billion in damage. One of them was a mile-wide monster of incredible power, the fiercest F5 twister to hit a metropolitan area, and whose 300 mph winds were the fastest ever recorded.

Veteran journalist Nancy Mathis draws on many interviews to weave the story of those few terrifying hours that irrevocably changed the lives of many Oklahomans. Storm Warning features Kara Wiese, who fought to save her son from the fatal winds; and Charlie Cusack, who followed the tornado's progress on television until it came knocking on his front door. Amazingly, only thirty-eight people perished at the hands of the Oklahoma F5. Many lives were saved by the efforts of professionals such as Ted Fujita, the creator of the Fujita Scale and dubbed "Mr. Tornado" for his relentless pursuit to unravel a twister's mysteries; the oft-criticized but dogged government meteorologists; and Gary England, a resourceful TV weatherman whose tireless efforts prepared hundreds of people in the tornado's path. Storm Warning alternates between personal stories and the history of the struggle to understand this bewildering force of Mother Nature, creating a nail-biting, captivating look at surviving the fury from the skies.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On May 3, 1999, a series of 71 tornadoes blasted Oklahoma. The biggest of them all spanned a mile—making it the largest in recorded history—and delivered ground-level winds of over 300 mph. In her exhaustively researched book, journalist Mathis brings the Tornado Alley calamity to life. A native Sooner who spent many hours crouching in fear in her grandmother's root cellar, Mathis has a visceral connection to the region and its heavy weather that she supplements with the expert use of interviews and historical research. Mathis introduces readers to the slow development of weather science, to the families of the victims and to such unique individuals as Tetsuya Fujita and his Fujita Scale for measuring tornado strength. Although her initial, century-spanning onslaught of science and characters can be overwhelming, the story lines eventually coalesce, and by the time the tornadoes touch down on or near Oklahoma City, the reader is engrossed. In an era of Weather Channel "Torn Porn," tornado chasers and even "tornado tours" at $3,000 per person, Mathis has written a book that helps readers locate the story behind the spectacle. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

On May 3, 1999, a staggering number of tornados--almost 70 of them--touched down in Oklahoma, wiping out more than 10,000 homes and causing at least $1 billion in damage. One tornado, a mile wide or more, generated the fastest winds ever recorded on the earth's surface. The author, a native Oklahoman, takes us back to that terrible day, and--through interviews with survivors, meteorologists, and others--makes us feel as though we are right there in the midst of the holocaust. Comparisons to The Perfect Storm are sure to be bandied about, but it's important to remember that while Sebastian Junger relied on invented dialogue and dramatic license, Mathis was able to speak to the people who lived through the disaster, and her re-creations ring more clearly of the unvarnished truth. The current fascination with big-weather events almost guarantees the book a wide audience, and that's fine: it deserves one. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743280539
• ISBN-13: 978-0743280532
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,113,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great review of an American tragedy, March 20, 2007

By 

R. Keith Clingan "also an author" (Jackson, Mississippi USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado (Hardcover)

Oklahoma City is one of those places that was ripe for disaster. Sitting smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley, it was only waiting for the big one to hit and cause a lot of trouble. On May 3, 1999, that disaster happened. A tornado that traveled from Southwestern Oklahoma ended up crossing a major section of the OK City suburbs, leaving more than 40 dead and many more injured. Nancy Mathis reviews this American tragedy and helps to see how technology has made survival of even a major storm like this easier. This is a great account of how tornadoes in today's world are watched, tracked, and how the warnings are sent out. This book is a great read to all who have an interest in weather, science, and human interaction. I read it all in one sitting.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definately Worth Spending Some Time With!, April 1, 2007

By 

Andrew N. Shannon "Semper Fi" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado (Hardcover)

All disaster books in general follow a pretty set pattern: Immediately hook the reader, then spend the next 2/3 of the book on the events leading to the disaster (snore), finally conveying the actual disaster itself. This book is a large leap above so many others in that Mathis is able to provide a stunning narrative of the disaster, interspersed with a truly memorable cast of characters that straddle the periphery. Tied together the book is a pleasure. Never plodding, filled with fact, human interest, and technical information presented in a most readable manner that sweeps the reader along. From the basic misconception that a tornado funnel goes from the air to the ground, to a parade of quirky and obsessed weather professionals - Mr. Tornado, Roger Eedwards, Gary England, to name just a few - Storm Warning delivers a compelling read and a first rate job of research & reportage!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like an IMAX movie in hardcover, May 1, 2007

By 

Rita Slemp (Bariloche, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado (Hardcover)

Just finished reading Nancy Mathis's Storm Warning in one sitting. Having grown up in Oklahoma and spent more than two decades as an airline pilot, I thought I knew a thing or two about hook echos, doppler radar and microbursts. Mathis nails these down--making the science interesting and easy to understand. But she also tells the story of this terrible twister in a way that puts the reader right in the middle of the action. And that is scary, especially if you happen to be reading Storm Warning during a blustery spring storm, as I did. I could picture the eerie green sky as the storm chasers sped across the plains and smell the dank culvert where victims perished. The blow-by-blow description of the destruction of a two story house in 20-25 seconds is as vivid and chilling as anything I've ever read. Do yourself a favor though: read it on a quiet sunny day with calm winds.