Weather Science

Bill Ayers was born into privilege and is today a highly respected educator and community activist. In the late 1960s he was a founder of the militant activist group the Weather Underground. Living on the run, stealing explosives, and hiding from the law, Ayers was involved in the defining moments of his generation: the Days of Rage, SDS, the Black Panthers - and the explosion that killed his beloved comrade, Diana Oughton.

January 12, 1888, began as an unseasonably warm morning across Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, the weather so mild that children walked to school without coats and gloves. But that afternoon, without warning, the atmosphere suddenly, violently changed. One moment the air was calm; the next the sky exploded in a raging chaos of horizontal snow and hurricane-force winds. Temperatures plunged as an unprecedented cold front ripped through the center of the continent.

Hail the size of golf balls drops from the sky. Strong winds send cars sailing through the air as if they were small toys. Most people look for cover when severe weather threatens. But storm chasers do the opposite - they look for the storms! Find out why these daredevils take the risk, what they’ve learned about severe weather, and the gear they use to stay safe.

Reed Timmer is one of the most successful and most extreme storm chasers in the world. His is a job that requires science and bravado, knowledge and instinct just to survive, never mind excel. It's a job some people would kill for. But most prefer to let Timmer take the risks while they watch from the safety of their homes. Reed Timmer is a star of Storm Chasers, one of the Discovery Channel's top-rated shows. Into the Storm is Timmer's dramatic account of his extraordinary profession.

What’s in a cloud? Did you know that water vapor is invisible and actually lighter than dry air? What separates a tropical storm from a winter blizzard? And what exactly is El Niño? Elliot Rappaport, a professional captain of traditional sailing ships, has spent three decades at sea, where understanding weather is crucial to the safety of vessels and their crews. In Reading the Glass, he offers a sailor’s-eye view of the moving parts of our atmosphere and unveils the larger patterns it holds: global winds, storms, air masses, jet streams, and the longer arc of our climate.

The Storm Troupers are a group of weather hackers who roam the plains of Texas and Oklahoma, hopped up on adrenaline and technology. Utilizing virtual reality, flying robots, and all-terrain vehicles, they collect data on the extreme storms ravaging an America decimated by climate change. But even their visionary leader can’t predict the danger on the horizon when a volatile new member joins their ranks and faces a trial by fire: a massive tornado unlike any the world has seen before.

The weather is windy today. Do you know what to do? Come explore the weather today and learn what to do on a windy day.

The weather is cold today. Do you know what to do? Come explore the weather today and learn what to do on a cold day.

Employing in-depth reporting on cutting edge science and technology, veteran journalist Thomas E. Weber takes us on a tour of how meteorologists, scientists, and officials track and prepare for major weather events. As climate change is altering our planet and making weather events more extreme, Weber introduces us to those on the front lines of weather preparation and prediction.

Over three decades of storm chasing, Hank Schyma has witnessed some of planet Earth’s most incredible weather shows. STORM brings together the very best of his work, featuring dramatic photography, unforgettable stories from the road, and clear, engaging explanations of the science behind the storms.

Why Elephants Cry is a fascinating frolic through the literature and evidence surrounding the use of unusual behavior of animals to measure and predict the environment. The role of animals, from the smallest ant to the biggest elephant, as predictors of environmental changes is framed around the climate crisis, which highlights the increasingly important part that animals will have to play in the future. Renowned biologist Professor John T. Hancock collects anecdotal stories and myths along with scientific evidence, demonstrating that observation of animals can be of tangible use.

In early May of 2005, Captain Tom Tighe and first mate, Loch Reidy, of the sailboat Almeisan welcomed three new crew members, two men and a woman, for a five-day voyage from Connecticut to Bermuda. While Tighe and Reidy had made the journey countless times, the rest of the crew were paying passengers learning about offshore sailing—and looking for adventure. Four days into their voyage, they got adventure but nothing that they had expected or had any training to handle.

The Secret Life of Snow pulls back the frosty curtain on winter’s most fascinating wonders, revealing the incredible science, chemistry, and weather patterns that create snowflakes, blizzards, and icy spectacles across the globe.

Why should you care about climate change? Weather affects your everyday life and climate change can have major impacts. Discover how scientists study climate change, what current research shows, and what you can do to reverse its effects.

Desert, forest, or prairies—droughts can happen anywhere. Discover how small shifts in rain amounts can cause big changes to the land. Learn about droughts, what causes them, and how living things adapt to survive.

Learn what it's like to live in a very cold place. In this book, you'll visit cities with very cold weather and learn why the temperatures dip so low.

Some places are so high that they touch the clouds. Listen to this book to find out more about places with very high elevations.

The weather is hot today. Do you know what to do? Come explore the weather today and learn what to do on a hot day.

Many places on Earth are lower than the sea! Listen to this book to find out more about places that are below sea level.

The weather is sunny today. Do you know what to do? Come explore the weather today and learn what to do on a sunny day.