Cloud Warriors

A deeply-reported and wide-ranging look at the people and technology providing vital weather forecasts, in a world where preparation and prevention is a life-and-death issue. For millennia, humans have tried to understand and predict the weather. The Space Age helped usher in satellites and radar, while computers made it possible to plug all that data into complex equations that anticipated the atmosphere’s future behavior. Now a new age of forecasting advances is unfolding, driven by artificial intelligence, drones, and satellites. The Internet of Things has turned everything from cellphones to cars into ubiquitous weather sensors. Equally significant are new efforts to understand how people respond to forecasts and warnings. Scientists and government officials are realizing that how people get their weather information, and how they use it, are crucial factors in the outcome of a catastrophic weather event. Employing in-depth reporting on cutting edge science and technology, veteran journalist Thomas E. Weber takes us on a fascinating tour of how meteorologists, scientists, and officials track and prepare for major weather events, such as hurricanes, tornados, floods, forest fires, extreme heat, and winter storms. 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. We travel from coast-to-coast, to space and back, meeting TV meteorologists and storm chasers, city planners, backyard weatherman, and many others. Cloud Warriors will change the way you think about the weather—and the power of being able to see it coming.