THE HANDY WEATHER ANSWER BOOK

For quick answers to over 1,000 frequently asked weather questions, this book is the best resource I’ve found. Its chapters include definitions, descriptions, explanations, dates, and other bits of information on subjects such as weather fundamentals, instruments, observing techniques, forecasting, and careers. Other chapters focus on the upper atmosphere and outer space, clouds, optical phenomena, air pollution, the human body, and climate change. And, of course, each major storm type has its own chapter. A detailed index makes it easy to find answers to specific questions if you’re in a hurry. But you’ll want to allow extra time for reading more or browsing once you open this book. Its only shortcoming is the lack of drawings to illustrate complicated phenomena, but additional graphics might have required too many pages. As is, it’s up to almost 400 pages.

Vermont is fortunate to have its own weather book, which offers us background history, a month-by-month review of historic weather events, explanations of unusual weather events and extremes, a survey of historic storms by type, and a discussion of weather watching around the state. The first edition was published in 1985, and a second edition adds highlights from 1986-1994. This is an altogether useful and interesting book that I have read cover to cover and still refer to frequently. Its only shortcoming is the absence of an index, which I’m hoping some good weather-person might add in a third edition, along with more highlights since 1994.

THE WEATHER BOOK: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to the USA's Weather (Revised and Updated)

Jack Williams has been working on the USA TODAY Weather Page since before the paper’s first edition. He designed the prototypes, conceived the graphics, and since 1982 has focused on presenting the weather to the general public day after day. Eventually he added the weather component of USA TODAY’s online service to his job. This book is an outgrowth of all these experiences. The colorful graphics are clear and easy-to-understand, the text is efficient and interesting, and the additional tidbits of information in the margins and sidebars enrich the content. My only criticism of this otherwise useful reference book is that its index is so brief and minimal that it doesn’t list all the information that is available somewhere—or several places—in the book. Therefore, I have difficulty finding specific facts, which is usually what I’m looking for. BUY THIS BOOK.