From Publishers Weekly
Weather-watchers will rejoice in this lavishly illustrated compendium of the hottest, coldest, wettest, driest, windiest, snowiest, wildest and weirdest weather on the planet. Burt, an amateur meteorologist and publisher of the Compass American Guidebook series, explores extreme weather phenomena in digestible mini-essays complemented by sidebars on such oddities as colored snow and luminous tornadoes. The whole is supplemented by maps, lists of destructive storms, and photos of towering thunderheads, raging floodwaters and the devastated remains of human settlement. The focus is on the United States, thunderstorm and tornado capital of the world thanks to the Great Plains collision between warm, moist Gulf air and cool, dry Canadian air. But Burt also looks at meteorological problem areas abroad, such as Bangladesh, where cyclonic storm surges killed 300,000–500,000 people in 1970 and a further 139,000 in 1991. In addition to regaling readers with prodigies, Burt exhaustively tabulates weather records for each state and for hundreds of U.S. cities. Although his discussion of the science behind the weather tends toward the cursory, this eminently browsable blizzard of sensational facts will delight budding meteorologists and barroom wagerers alike. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From School Library Journal
Adult/High School - This book has enough information packed within its pages to keep the most ardent weather watchers busy. Chapters are arranged by such phenomena as thunderstorms and hail, snow and ice, windstorms and fog, etc., and liberally illustrated with beautiful black-and-white and color photographs, charts, and maps. True "junkies" will pore over the appendixes that include a map of weather stations and state and city precipitation records. In the course of discussing each type of occurrence, Burt offers numerous items of interest. For example, Key West has only one foggy day each year, while the "foggiest of the foggy" towns in the U.S. is Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River. Mysteries such as why most other countries in the world, with the possible exception of India and Bangladesh, do not experience as many severe thunderstorms as the United States does are clearly explained. Discussions of scales such as the Fujita, used to measure the strength of a tornado, and the Saffir-Simpson, used to measure hurricanes, are included. Eyewitness accounts are scattered throughout. This book will captivate weather lovers and make converts of others. - Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Book News, Inc.
Made visually lively with an abundance of color photos and maps, this book presents informative text on various weather conditions--heat, drought, cold, floods, thunderstorms, windstorms, tornadoes, fog--but its heart is its many-faceted collection of extreme weather data for some 300 US cities, presented in tables. Burt, an afficionado of extreme weather statistics since boyhood, studied meterology in college and then became an author and publisher (he founded the Compass American Guides series). This compendium will be attractive to anyone bitten by a similar bug, as well as those with milder enthusiasm.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Book Description
The ultimate book for the weather enthusiast or anyone interested in the oddities and extremes of nature. There are few thrills as exciting as weather at its worst. We often hear on the news that the day was the hottest, coldest, wettest, or snowiest on record. Is the climate really becoming more extreme as a result of global warming? The facts are in this book. Extensively illustrated with color photographs of some of the most extreme weather ever captured on camera, dozens of color maps, and tables of weather records for over three hundred U.S. cities, this book is both an entertainment and an indispensable reference. Also included are historical examples of some of the more bizarre weather events observed: heat bursts, electrified dust storms, snow rollers, pink snowstorms, luminous tornadoes, falls of fish and toads, ball lightning, super bolts, and other strange meteorological events. Here's the must-have book for Weather Channel and Guinness Book of World Records fans. 80 color and 35 black-and-white photos, 40 maps.


About the Author
Christopher C. Burt was co-founder and publisher of the acclaimed Compass American Guidebook series. A lifelong weather enthusiast, he studied meteorology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This is his first book. He lives in Oakland, California.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Extreme Weather contains a compilation of weather statistics from more than 300 weather stations across the United States which altogether represent areas where over 90% of the U.S. population resides. This book also serves as a weather guidebook; providing information about those places in the United States and around the world where weather is at its worst." Also included are historical examples of some of the more bizarre weather events observed: heat bursts, electrified dust storms, snow rollers, pink snowstorms, luminous tornadoes, falls of fish and toads, ball lightning, super bolts, and other strange meteorological events.

SYNOPSIS

Made visually lively with an abundance of color photos and maps, this book presents informative text on various weather conditions—heat, drought, cold, floods, thunderstorms, windstorms, tornadoes, fog—but its heart is its many-faceted collection of extreme weather data for some 300 US cities, presented in tables. Burt, an afficionado of extreme weather statistics since boyhood, studied meterology in college and then became an author and publisher (he founded the Compass American Guides series). This compendium will be attractive to anyone bitten by a similar bug, as well as those with milder enthusiasm. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Tim Cahill - The New York Times

Christopher C. Burt, the author of the excellent and addictive Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book, strives to put all this in context.

Publishers Weekly

Weather-watchers will rejoice in this lavishly illustrated compendium of the hottest, coldest, wettest, driest, windiest, snowiest, wildest and weirdest weather on the planet. Burt, an amateur meteorologist and publisher of the Compass American Guidebook series, explores extreme weather phenomena in digestible mini-essays complemented by sidebars on such oddities as colored snow and luminous tornadoes. The whole is supplemented by maps, lists of destructive storms, and photos of towering thunderheads, raging floodwaters and the devastated remains of human settlement. The focus is on the United States, thunderstorm and tornado capital of the world thanks to the Great Plains collision between warm, moist Gulf air and cool, dry Canadian air. But Burt also looks at meteorological problem areas abroad, such as Bangladesh, where cyclonic storm surges killed 300,000-500,000 people in 1970 and a further 139,000 in 1991. In addition to regaling readers with prodigies, Burt exhaustively tabulates weather records for each state and for hundreds of U.S. cities. Although his discussion of the science behind the weather tends toward the cursory, this eminently browsable blizzard of sensational facts will delight budding meteorologists and barroom wagerers alike. (Oct.) Forecast: The dramatic photos, colorful charts and juicy graphs not to mention the large font and accessible vocabulary should make this a hit with weather-heads of all ages. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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