Customer Reviews

The Weather of the Pacific Northwest

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a Northwest transplant, I've always wondered why the storms out here are so very different from those in the midwest. Mass explains all of this in an accessible, easy to understand way. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the full-color graphics help the reader under the mechanics and movement of weather. I love the discussion of the historical floods (including the whopper in December 2006 that felt of hurricane intensity) and the chapter on how to "forecast" the weather on your own. This is a truly great weather and climate book -- straightforward yet complex, sober in its science yet exciting in its practical immediacy. I've already bought an extra copy for a friend for Christmas who is a committed weather buff.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest and you are interested in our weather - and how can you not be? - this is the book for you. Cliff Mass gets you interested by giving a history of some of our most noteworthy storms. The Columbus Day storm, The Inauguration Day storm, The Hannukah Eve storm, etc. For example: Why was the damage from the Hannukah Eve storm so much more extensive than the damage from the Columbus Day storm? Why are our storms not called hurricanes when we get them with hurricane force winds? This book also gives you the science behind our weather in easy to understand language with great illustrations. I only hope that Cliff will come out with another version someday that will remind us of events like the December 2008 "100-year" snowstorm that happened after this book was published.

I purchased the book for my teenage nephew who loves anyting to do with weather. He couldn't put it down! Ran to tell his Grandparents about the great book and I think has committed the whole thing to memory by now!

Enjoyable, coffee table kind of book. Gives a good idea of regional weather features. Lots of space is devoted to unusual weather events, which is a must read if you plan to buy a house in the region.

Enough background is provided, so no special knowledge is required. The downside of this is that quite a bit of space is taken up by explanations of general principals and phenomena.

There is a short chapter on "reading the sky" towards the end, and the appendix contains some useful resources, but I expected more practical information on how to interpret the current weather situation.

In addition to reading this book, I recommend following the author's blog, which appears to be updated whenever there is an interesting weather situation.

Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest, especially those who watch the skies and try to understand our crazy weather, have been given a great resource in this book. I have taken many science classes over the years, but I think the hardest subject to understand is the science of weather. Cliff Mass makes it clear for the lay person, without interjecting unnecessary terms and jargon. I have lived through many of the violent storms of the Puget Sound region, but now I understand the conditions that give rise to those events. Not only is the book clear without condescension, it is beautiful. The illustrations, graphs, and photos are worth the price of it. I have read the text avidly, and the pictures make it perfect for the coffee table. Now I don't just tell Seattle rain jokes, I am actually proud of our "convergent zones" and Stampede Gaps. If you live here, get the book.

As a kid, I would determine the weather for each day by looking out the window onto Puget Sound and seeing if the wind was from the North (shorts and T-shirt) of from the South (rain jacket required). This seemed a straight-forward way to handle things and it served me well. Imagine my surprise when I went to college in the Mid-West and then onto the East coast and weather changed wildly during a given day, didn't obviously depend upon the wind direction - and what's with this 'humidity' during the summer months - who's bright idea was that?!?

While I realized that the NW was blessed with mild, temperate weather (no humidity!), clearly my understand of NW weather left something to be desired.

Mass's book provides a clear, concise and informative presentation of the weather of our beloved Pacific NW - not just the 'whats' but also the 'hows' and 'whys'. And the book do so in an engaging manner, allowing the reader to come away from each segment with an understanding that will stand him/her in good stead next time the neighbors complain about the weather! You'll learn all the bits and pieces of NorthWestern weather, such as - spoiler alert - it really does rain more often on the fourth of July! The book is filled with lovely diagrams and pictures that demonstrate the points made in the text - and the book, itself, is well crafted and

ruggedly constructed - dare I say, hot tub proof?

Get the facts! The more you know....

And, finally, I have the tools to lustily 'critique' the weather forecasters on TV in the same fashion as I critique the rest of the news cast - watch out Mr. Steve Pool - I'm onto you now!

For those who find weather fascinating, this is a must book. Cliff writes in an engaging way and explains so we can all understand how patterns form and weather develops. Great for reference and just reading.

Lots of pictures and graphs -- clear, interesting writing. If you have any interest in Pacific Northwest weather you'll like this book.

I purchased this book because I get frustrated at the weather/weather reports in Seattle. As a cyclist it was driving me nuts trying to understand what the local weatherman was attempting to say. This book has a ton of information, and lots of great pictures and although the topic is a bit boring, the writer does a good job of hiding the technical facts in between stories of snowy disasters and catastrophic flooding. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of the weird Northwest weather.

I also read this writers blog and view the UW probability forecast for supplemental information before deciding if I should bike into work on a particular day.

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I bought this for my husband for Christmas! It is a beautiful book, and very well written. It gives a lot of detailed information about the weather in the PNW, esp. Washington State! It covers, in detail, most of the aspects of PNW weather. It is not overwhelmingly technical, yet is technical enough to explain the weather patterns unique to the PNW. It is a very high quality book with lots of beautiful photographs that help illustrate the information. We are new to the area, and my husband's occupation requires him to have a thorough understanding of local weather patterns. I highly recommend this book to anyone needing or wanting to know more about PNW weather!