The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm (Paperback)

~ Thomas P. Grazulis (Author) "On May 25, 1932, on a northwestern Kansas farm just south of the Nebraska border, John Newport looked to the west and saw storm clouds..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Weather Bureau, Fujita Scale (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What causes tornadoes? How accurately can they be predicted? How large can they grow? The University of Oklahoma Press indulges the curiosity of those fascinated by these whirling scourges in two books. In The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm, meteorologist Thomas P. Grazulis authoritatively conveys the science and thrill of tornadoes. His stories of "storm-chasing" and stats about "Individual Tornadoes Causing $200 Million or More in 1999 Inflation-Adjusted Damage" lend weight and immediacy to his accessible book.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"I strongly urge everyone living in tornado-prone areas to read this book. It might save your life!"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press; 1st Red River Books Ed edition (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806135387
• ISBN-13: 978-0806135380
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #568,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on Tornadoes, November 29, 2002

By	Donald Giuliano (Norman, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm (Hardcover)

I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in tornadoes and wishing to learn more about the subject. Topics covered include nearly every aspect of tornado development and subsequent evolution, forecasting and warnings, the Fujita scale for rating damage, and tornado risks by geographical region. As a meteorologist, I think he does a great job communicating core scientific concepts to the reader in an easy-to-understand manner, and the chapters "Tornado Myths" and "Tornado Safety" contain valuable information and are must-reads, esp. for those less familiar with severe storms/tornadoes.

In short, a good read for anyone interested in tornadoes, and definitely a book you will want to have on your shelf.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gone with the wind., August 27, 2002

By	Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm (Hardcover)

Lets start with the few negatives about this book. Grazulis does use the term, "I" fairly often in this book. This doesn't bother me as much as it does some people. He has to use the first person as he explains what brought about his interest in tornadoes and he has been involved in much of the research he talks about. The only real drawback I can find is that he gets a little too technical for the average reader on occasion. Still, considering the complicated nature of his subject I think he does a fine job of getting his point across and helping someone like me began to understand these killer storms.

Grazulis leads us down the path of tornado history making stops along the way to point out interesting facts. The reader is given stories of survival as well as tragedy. We even get a story about the one of the 18th century's most famous scientists chasing on horseback after what may or may not have been a tornado. I can just see Ben Franklin charging down the road in hot pursuit. Grazulis also spends some time trashing some tornado myths and giving some safety tips. There is also a very interesting chapter on tornadoes in other countries. I have even begun to understand what straight line winds and downbursts are because of this book.

Best of all the reader will be treated to an inside look at the progress science has made in understanding and predicting tornadoes. The new equipment, the new ideas, and the ever present danger of trying to get too close to a tornado to study it. Science has come a long way since early April, 1974 when forecasters all over the eastern U.S. watched the "Super Outbreak" on surplus World War II radar.

No matter if you are a weather junkie or are just in awe of the power of nature I feel sure you will find this to be an interesting read.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An accessible introduction to the subject, August 20, 2001

By	Susan Paxton (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm (Hardcover)

Persons interested in tornadoes will recognize Tom Grazulis as the Director of the Tornado Project and author of the massive tornado tome "Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991." In this new book, appropriately published by the University of Oklahoma Press, Grazulis discusses the long history of tornadoes in the United States (and, rare for books on the subject, includes a listing of major tornadoes outside the US), covers the process of observation and research that led to today's understanding of these chaotic storms, discusses tornado oddities, tornado safety, and tornado myths (no, that trailer park on the edge of town is not a dangerous tornado attractant). Grazulis is not a particularly stylish writer, but the book is clear and interesting and will serve as a good introduction to both the trail of terror left by these storms and the current state of severe storm research.

.... While Grazulis does on occasion refer to himself, it is not excessive and provides his own view of events and personalities in the field.

My only disagreement with Grazulis is his soft-pedaling of the state of government funding into severe storm research and warning systems. While he comments mildly that the government just can't fund everything (which of course is true), I would observe that there always seems to be money for congressional porkbarrel, like the mysterious ordering every year of C-130 aircraft that the Air Force didn't want but which were built in a certain well-known former House Speaker's district at the same time that Weather Service offices were being closed and research money drying up. As one who lives in a NEXRAD "hole" (a city that is well below the horizon of the nearest WSR-88D radars and hence in danger of being struck unexpectedly by tornadoes), I tend to object more than mildly to this kind of thing, and Grazulis should as well.

If you find this book interesting, check at your local library for a copy of Grazulis' "Significant Tornadoes." It is huge and fascinating.