The Skies Above: Storm Clouds, Blood Moons, and Other Everyday Phenomena

by Dennis Mersereau

Overview

"The Skies Above explains nearly any and everything weather-related...enlightening and a worthwhile source" — Portland Book Review

2022 National Outdoor Book Award Silver Medalist in Nature/Environment

• Full-color photography and illustrations
• Details seasonal events, from Nor’easters and northern lights to fire whirls and tornadoes
• Sidebars dive into fascinating facts, quirky phenomena, historic weather events, myths, and more

Written by self-professed weather geek Dennis Mersereau, The Skies Above is designed to inspire equal parts amazement and curiosity. Accessible science, illuminating illustrations, and stunning photography bring the meteorological world to life. From basics such as weather fronts and types of precipitation to more unusual occurrences like polar vortexes, meteor showers, solar eclipses, and the spectacular mammatus clouds that signify a supercell thunderstorm, Mersereau tracks key phenomena across the seasons and demystifies celestial events visible to the naked eye but still enigmatic to most. He also delves into how climate change affects weather, forecasts, and other events, such as devastating wildfires and historic hurricanes churning across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Skies Above provides readers with a deeper understanding of the processes and events that fill our skies, which not only soothes the anxiety produced by raucous storms, but instills a stronger and more meaningful appreciation of the beauty of days both stormy and calm.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680515558
Publisher:	Mountaineers Books, The
Publication date:	03/18/2022
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dennis Mersereau enjoys all types of atmospheric tantrums, from powerful thunderstorms to heavy snow. After studying meteorology in college, he went off to write for the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang and Gawker’s weather vertical, The Vane, as well as for Popular Science, Mental Floss, Forbes, and The Weather Network. He also teamed up with survival experts to write The Extreme Weather Survival Manual (Outdoor Life, 2015). He lives in North Carolina. Find him online at damweather.com or on Twitter @wxdam.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

The Skies 101 9

Fronts and Pressures 11

Rain, Snow, and Other Precipitation 19

Name That Cloud 27

Predicting the Weather 35

Weather vs. Climate 43

The Lunar Phases 53

Lunar Eclipses 60

Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors 66

Winter 77

The Winter Solstice 79

Nor'easters, Blizzards, and Lake Effect Snow 87

Polar Vortex 95

Auroras and Solar Storms 101

Optical Oddities: Halos, Stars, and Pillars 105

Spring 111

Vernal Equinox 113

Thunderstorms and Lightning 119

Tornadoes 131

Wind 137

Summer 143

Summer Solstice 145

Hail 151

Deserts and Tropics 157

Dust Storms 167

Sunrise and Sunset 175

Fall 179

Autumnal Equinox 181

El Niño and La Niña 187

Hurricanes 195

Fog 207

Waterspouts, Dust Devils, and Fire Whirls 213

Rainbows 219

Epilogue 225

Resources 226

Index 228

About the Author 231

Editorial Reviews

[The Skies Above] explores what everyday phenomena can tell us about the weather—and how climate change is altering the norms.

Sierra

The Skies Above explains nearly any and everything weather-related.... I found the book enlightening and a worthwhile source to have accessible when I see a cloud that I can’t identify or wonder about how the wind works and its effect on our daily weather. The illustrations are the right amount in quantity, the quality is bright and detailed, and they enhance the book overall.

Portland Book Review - Rachel Dehning

A fun and readable overview of what we can observe by looking up. It covers everyday weather, major meteorological phenomena and astronomy. It’s a comprehensive go-to guide, perfect for a summer evening or camping trip.

The Nature Conservancy's Cool Green Science - Matthew Miller

Comprehensive and informative, exceptionally well written and organized, 'The Skies Above: Storm Clouds, Blood Moons, and Other Everyday Phenomena' provides readers with insights and understandings of the processes and events that are in the atmosphere...which not only reduces anxiety produced by raucous storms by understanding what is happening and why, but instills a stronger and more meaningful appreciation of the beauty of days both stormy and calm weather.

Midwest Book Review

This is the sort of book that you can page through time and time again and always find something new and fascinating. The title says it all. It is about the skies and what you see when you look up. The author guides you through each of the seasons and the science behind thunderstorms, blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, rainbows, and much more. It’s a first-rate reference book, perfect for any outdoor lover’s library.

National Oudoor Book Award Judges

[The Skies Above] explores what everyday phenomena can tell us about the weather—and how climate change is altering the norms.

Sierra