Customer Reviews

Weather For Dummies

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great book for those of us interested more in the weather and less in stuffy meteorology. I now have an understanding of "relative humidity" and why a "dry heat" is more comfortable than humid heat. I now know where some weather proverbs come from, such as "Red sky at night, sailor's delight." (There's actually factual basis for this proverb.)

This book makes a nice coffee table book, and it lends itself to casual reading. But if you're serious about the weather, you can get a lot from this book as well. There's a chapter on setting up your own weather instruments at home and keeping a weather diary. And the appendix lists a number of websites where you can learn even more about the weather. No more glib answers from me when someone says, "How about this weather?"

It was a basic book on starting to understand weather, which is what I was looking for. I was able to read and understand more advanced books on the subject after that one. It served its purpose.

Weather is a subject that everyone knows something about. However that's just where John Cox starts. So one knows about Doppler radar? How about polar orbiters? So one has always heard the expression "it's too cold to snow?" Is it really?

Of course this is a reader-friendly book. But I will wager that it will soon turn into a handy reference book that is frequently pulled from the shelf.

If you know very little about the whys & wherefores of weather then this is the book for you. It is a light read and gives you all you need to know. You won't be able to work as a professional weatherman, but you will get a good grasp of the intricate science of meteorology. I recommend the book and the price is right.

Very good book on the topic. It gives a great description and count on how weather forms for example hurricanes like el nino. I am glad that dummies finally put out a book on weather. Nice job John D. Cox. It's good to see a new writer in this field!!

If you would like a general understanding of the weather this is the book! It's an easy read and full of information. The good thing is that you won't need a scientific dictionary to get through this book. Highly recommended.

this book is ok for me, but some stuff could be improved:
1) Synoptical weather maps are absent. A comparison between a satellite image and a classic analogic map would be very useful; a link among fronts and front lines could help to understand dynamics, location, range, pressure fields, gradients, etc;
2) Sometimes, informations about phenomena and more often weather damages are replied in different chapters;
3) It's not so clear the difference between hurricanes and tornadoes.
4) On page 157, fig. 7-4: it could be very interesting to associate every hurricane track to its name;
5) It's not so clear about the method used to classify weather disasters; to avoid confusion , it would be better to choose a criterion to follow and list a single sequence,
6) The whole text is related only to USA weather;
7) Please, use SI (international system of units); the whole planet spent a lot of money to unify it;
8) The list of weather links at the end of the book is a very useful tool.

Renato Medini (Italy)

I waited a long time to buy this book until I could get a bargain copy through amazon.com and I was not disappointed! Dr. Cox explains the science of weather so well that anyone with even a smattering of education can understand it. He also brought us up to date on the latest
"toys" used by the weathermen and weathercasters to inform us all of something that we all talk about but few of us understand.

This is a very well written book, informative and very easy reading. The author explains things in an easy to understand manner.

Weather has been a interest and hobby of mine since the days that I prayed for a blizzard to close all the local schools, and I could enjoy a rare leisurely breakfast while watching the Lone Ranger. Living in New England there isn't much that we avoid year 'round when it comes to just about all that can be experienced weather wise. Heat, cold, snow, rain, drought, wind, hurricanes, and even absolutely perfect weather on occasion. Weather books are pretty easy to come about online here. I own perhaps a dozen or more of them altogether. Along with a couple of weather stations and several weather radios. I guess you could say that when I talk about the weather, I am not just desperate for conversation...

The problem with most weather books is that they have a tendency to assume you already know too much. Believe me I know for I understand weather rather well and own a good many books on the subject as stated before. Being educated as to weather and its terminology and technical aspects is something that is both most entertaining and interesting, especially when you are reading a book that begins by assuming you barely understand and know what weather is. A good book that expresses it all in a plain easy to understand style brings a whole new understanding to terms like a front, back door high, Yankee clipper, and the sentimental favorite, the good old Nor'easter. The Dummy series of books has always been a favorite of mine. I own several of them. Everything from weather here to bird feeding. I not only enjoy the sheer volume of knowledge that is always included in their pages, but I very much enjoy the old time folksy way that the information is delivered. The Dummy book on weather is definitely no exception. It begins with a chapter that is comparable to weather 101, and it's laid back easy style makes it fun and enjoyable, while at the same time being very informative from the opening chapters. Like all dummy books I have owned, there is also a generous helping of humor thrown in every chapter as well. It's my opinion you will find this weather book comfortable in your home as either a book that is occasionally picked up and thumbed through, or something you can't find it permissible to put down and end up reading from cover to cover. In any event, you will not only find yourself gathering a very respectable knowledge base along the way as to weather and its terminologies, but well understanding all those facts and figures we have heard on TV weather forecasts since childhood, but really don't understand much at all. It is well worth the price that Amazon is asking for it here, and even a bargain as dummy books go. Especially if bundled into a free shipping package.

If you have any interest in weather at all, I would suggest you pick up this dummy book as your premier reference book on the subject. Even if you are someone that has had an interest in the weather for some time and own a couple of other books, I would still suggest picking up this one. It's one of the best and most entertaining books on weather that I own, and who knows, after reading it, you just may find yourself knowing beforehand whether you will have the kids home the next day when the clueless weatherman is forecasting a classic wait and see attitude about that massive storm front approaching...I highly recommend weather for dummies. Pick up and enjoy...... :D