About the Author

Christopher C. Burt was co-founder and publisher of the acclaimed Compass American Guides series. His articles have appeared in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, among others. He lives in Oakland, California.

Reviews

"...this book virtually blows a gale in your face when you open it." Christopher Hirst, The Independent "Reach for Extreme Weather by Christopher Burt and you become mesmerised by the scale of hurricanes. League tables of the greatest, largest, fastest, deadliest and costliest storms across the US and the world all point to one conclusion-Katrina was no one-off event." The Times"

"...this book virtually blows a gale in your face when you open it." Christopher Hirst, The Independent "Reach for Extreme Weather by Christopher Burt and you become mesmerised by the scale of hurricanes. League tables of the greatest, largest, fastest, deadliest and costliest storms across the US and the world all point to one conclusion-Katrina was no one-off event." The Times"

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.