OUR AMERICAN WEATHER

by George Kimble ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 6, 1954

Geographer and meteorologist, until recently director of the American Geographical Society, and with a wide, international experience in his field behind him, Dr. Kimble writes authoritatively about the contradictions as well as the patterns of our American weather. For those interested in the subject (one wonders how many laymen, to the extent of reading a whole book on the subject) this is sound, interesting, and simpler in organization than most books in the field. He takes the weather, month by month, and so in due course gives coverage to the varied aspects:- thaws, cold waves, ice storms, snow, the differences between frosts and killing frosts, the problems of springfloods, tornadoes, waterspouts, hail, clouds and summer rains, heat and fog and thunderstorms, humidity, mountain weather, the arctics, hurricanes and meteorological prognosis, detecting the breaks in the weather and the meaning of warm and cold fronts, dry spells and droughts, the effect of the Gulf Stream and the trade winds, etc. etc. He discusses, objectively and dispassionately, the claims of the rainmakers and the hailbrakers, the plausibility of flying saucers (a kind of mirage he feels), pollen problems, the making of rhythms from study of sunspot cycles, migratory birds, and so on. He concedes the fact of increased mildness of Atlantic Coast winters but warns against its dependability. There's lots of interest here, as old wives' tales are punctured, and the rational foundations of regional sayings are accepted.

Pub Date: Jan. 6, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1954

Categories: NONFICTION