Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains (Paperback)

by Howard B. Bluestein (Author) "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..." (more)
Key Phrases: downshear side, upshear side, mobile mesonet, University of Oklahoma, Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Bluestein, a professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, has been pursuing tornadoes since long before storm-chasing emerged as a hobby of choice for thrill seekers. Though his motivation is primarily scientific, he acknowledges the role awe plays in his quest to understand these violent yet magnificent storms. He invites readers to accompany him on his two decades of storm-tracking through the famed "Tornado Alley" of the American Great Plains. When Bluestein points excitedly at a tornado or cloud formation, he directs the reader's gaze not to the power of the event alone, but also to details of its form and dynamics. In doing so, he employs the straightforward and often detailed discourse of the enthusiastic scientist discussing the topic that has driven his intellectual life. The book's historical organization traces the development of severe-weather science through the last half-century, from early anecdotal observations to today's high-technology measurements. The story ends where it began: at the dawn of a new quest into fuller understanding of the origin and development of these monster storms, demanding ever more detailed observations using ever advancing technologyAplus an ample dose of old-fashioned human curiosity and awe. Myriad illustrations and vivid photographs, many of which Bluestein himself shot, help break up the dense technical prose.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
A professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, Bluestein lives in the heart of Tornado Alley, an area extending from northern Texas to central Nebraska that claims the highest reported rate of tornado occurrence in the world. In his first book written for a general audience, he explains what is known about the genesis of tornadoes and their parent stormsAnot muchAand presents a personal history of modern severe-storm research. Bluestein is a storm chaser, someone who pursues severe thunderstorms in an attempt to find (and study) tornadoes. It sounds like a dangerous occupation, but his accounts of chases are characterized mostly by good-natured complaints about malfunctioning automobiles and uncooperative weather gods. The book includes more than 100 of Bluestein's photographs of storm clouds and vortexes, which are not only spectacularly beautiful but also clarify his rather technical descriptions of severe-storm phenomena. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries, particularly those in tornado-prone areas.ANancy Curtis, Univ. of Maine Lib., Orono
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195307119
• ISBN-13: 978-0195307115
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #611,216 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #82 in	Books > Science > Earth Sciences > Geography > Historic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, detailed information relating to severe weather., March 11, 2001

By	S. T. Pratt (Guilderland, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tornado Alley Is State Of The Art -- From a Fellow Chaser, December 1, 1999

By	John Monteverdi "Tornado Chaser" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I was looking for!, September 8, 2001

By	Natalie Kilpatrick "oldsmochick" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews

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