"Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather"

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike Smith
  • Start date Start date
Mike Smith said:
The second part of Tom's review and article is here: http://www.examiner.com/x-9111-Envi...of-The-Right-StuffMike-Smiths-Warnings-Part-2

The comparison to The Right Stuff is the ultimate compliment for me. TRS is the story of breaking the sound barrier and the early astronauts. It is my favorite non-fiction book and was made into a terrific movie.

Wow, I'm blown away by this.
Click to expand...

So Mike, who plays you in the Warnings movie? :D

I'm a bit over 1/2 way through and have enjoyed it. I guess I take for granted my GRLevel3 on my laptop at home and didn't realize how poor the radar and warning system was even for the 1974 outbreak.
 
Tom Hanks?

Kim Dugger, the marketing director of Mike Smith Enterprises ( www.mikesmithenterprises.com ), says it should be Tom Hanks.

We are a long, long, long way off from a movie -- the book needs to be a success first. That said, since none of our marketing starts prior to May 1 (the original release date), I'm quite pleased at early sales and thrilled with the early reviews.

Yes, as incredibly busy as I was on June 8, 1974, I took a moment to snap a photo of the hook echo moving into OKC and that is photo in the book. And, that is what the TV radar looked like. No geographic overlays (except when on the long range where we had a crude outline of the State of Oklahoma), just range rings and "blobs."

It is just amazing how far we have come since then!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Radar up until 1975 at some WSOs

l


I friend of mine who is reading Warnings brought this photo to my attention and it helps explain why the warning system got so far behind during the Superoutbreak that was going on 46 years ago. It is a photo of the same radar that Joe Audsley was using in 1957 as he went ahead and warned Kansas City of the Ruskin Heights Tornado of May 20, 1957 even though there was a Weather Bureau ban on doing so.

The radar was actually worse than it appears in the photo. This is a time exposure taken with the meteorologist steadying his head against the viewer so that the repeater scope below will look bright. It wasn't. It was terribly hard to read and interpret and, other than the range rings, there were no geographic references.

The radar meteorologist would shout, "Hook at 232° [azimuth] at 31 [nautical miles] while another met would put a "x" or similar notation on a road map covered with clear plastic with a 360° protractor on top of it to try to figure where important storm features were.

While MKC, MIA and other major cities received the WSR-57 in 1959 and 1960, many offices like TUL, DAY, TOP, GLD, etc., were still using the WSR 1's and 3's until the WSR-74C came along in 1975-76. So, when Xenia's supertornado was approaching, this is what the DAY office was using for warning purposes!

Remember, this is just 35 years ago. I know, to some, that seems like a long time but the the very first video games existed before the last of these WWII-era radars were retired.

Mike

I can't seem to get the photo to come up. Not sure what I am doing wrong. It can be viewed here: http://images.google.com/hosted/lif...e:life&start=40&hl=en&sa=N&ndsp=20&tbs=isch:1
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mike and all,

Mike...Great read!!!...This is a story that "parallels" a lot of peoples lives....The history of the modern warning system interspersed with the memories and observations of someone that lived and contributed to the system...Well thought out with numerous historical guide points that triggered my own thoughts and memories of that time...Since reading the book I have dug not only into the history of the specific storms that you mentioned but others that affected me, my family and my city...Your "first person" accounts of the remarkable weather events of your life bring into focus the tragedy and pathos that these storms leave behind in their wake...Congratulations and thanks for all you do...Jim
 
Jim,

Thanks very much. Warnings was very much a labor of love. I wanted meteorology and the meteorological profession to receive the level of respect it deserves and is so long overdue. I am also hoping to inspire the next generation of scientists as we still have a lot to learn.

Mike
 
Warnings is now available at the Gallery at Cottonwood Falls. Details at: www.gallerycwf.com/ .

I'm told that most Barnes & Noble stores have the book out on display (although at least one has sold out of their original allocation) but Borders is waiting until the original May 1 release date.
 
Mike,

Great read! I've enjoyed every second that I've read it. I did find one minor error in the book, though...

Page 189: "After the huge death tolls from tornadoes at Waco, Grand Rapids, and Worester..."

Grand Rapids should actually be Flint, Michigan. The Flint-Beecher tornado was the last tornado to result in more than 100 deaths.

This is a great book, and has taught me some things that I didn't know about before. Can't wait for your appearance at the NWC.
 
Chris,

Thank you. I can't believe that made it through the checking and checking and checking and checking. We'll correct it in the next printing and I am hopeful the book will go to more than one printing.

Glad you like the book.

The NWC appearance (for any who don't know) will be September 7, time TBA. I will be doing Miracle at Greensburg and signing books.

Thanks again,
Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Rave Review of "Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather"
Replies
0
Views
2K
Mike Smith
Back
Top