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The Weather of the Pacific Northwest
by
Cliff Mass
University of Washington atmospheric scientist and popular radio commentator Cliff Mass unravels the intricacies of Northwest weather, from the mundane to the mystifying. Accessible descriptions and illustrations of complex phenomena explain how terrain affects precipitation, how water bodies influence temperature, why windstorms follow particular tracks, and even why ferr...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
November 20th 2008
by University of Washington Press
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114)
Elaine Nelson
rated it
Cliff Mass is the go-to guy for weather in this region; I've been reading and enjoying his blog for a while. This book is an amazing compilation of just about everything weather in the Pacific NW. Learned lots and lots about how our geology affects the weather, as well as some good basic meteorology, the physics of clouds, etc. Has a great chapter on understanding what you see in the sky, and doing some amateur prediction of your own.
Fascinating history, too, with lots of the disast...more
Fascinating history, too, with lots of the disast...more
Cliff Mass explains in elegant layman's language the facts of Pacific Northwest weather patterns. Now I can see the challenges and realities of trying to predict the unpredictable. In many instances, PNW weather prediction is akin to a 'blind man'(lack of adequate radar coverage) trying to predict and describe the exact color of an vain woman's business attire for next Monday to a 'deaf' person (a TV viewer who flunked statistics) in short paragraphed sound bites....
As a Seattle resident I especially enjoyed reading the sections of this 2008 book about severe and serious weather events that have occurred historically, including some of which have impacted me directly. I scanned the more scientific sections and focused more on looking at the photos.
Great insights into the normal and abnormal weather of Washington and Oregon. Plenty of stories to keep it from sounding too much like at atmospheric science textbook. Could definitely use a bit of a editor's diet to trim its girth though.
If I could pick a graduate Professor, it would be this guy. He studied under Carl Sagan! If you live in the northwest and like weird weather anomalies, read this book and check out his blog!
Kesavan Shanmugam
is currently reading it
Now that I am not reading to get grades, I am truly enjoying learning about geography and weather.
This book is pretty much a must-read for anybody who lives in the Seattle area (or, to a slightly lesser degree, Portland) and who is at all interested in the weather.
Mass writes for the interested layperson, appearing to assume a non-specialized high school education. It looks and reads something like an introductory college text, which is understandable given that Mass is a professor of atmospheric science at UW. Also understandable is the book's focus on Washington and particula...more
Mass writes for the interested layperson, appearing to assume a non-specialized high school education. It looks and reads something like an introductory college text, which is understandable given that Mass is a professor of atmospheric science at UW. Also understandable is the book's focus on Washington and particula...more
A good overview of local weather phenomena.
Great illustrations. A bit repetitive.
Janet
marked it as to-read
Also from Marsha and Ken---I don't think I'll ever understand/get used to the weather here!
Does what it says on the label. An excellent overview for nerds and general interest alike. Decent coverage of both large-scale and small-scale phenomena.
A great overview of Northwest weather features. A good read for people who think it just rains all the time up here.
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Laurie
marked it as to-read
Recommends it for:
Mr. Katz
Recommended to Laurie by:
Seattle Times
Shelves:
wmslibrary,
nonfiction
I once took Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences from this UW professor.
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