Authors of the Storm

Offers an inside look at how meteorologists and forecasters predict the weather. Through field observation and interviews, this work shows that weather forecasts are often shaped as much by social and cultural factors inside local offices as they are by approaching cumulus clouds.

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In "Authors of the Storm", Gary Alan Fine offers an inside look at how meteorologists and forecasters predict the weather. Through field observation and interviews, Fine finds a supremely hard-working, insular clique of professionals who often refer to themselves as a 'band of brothers'. In Fine's skilled hands, we learn their lingo, how they 'read' weather conditions, how forecasts are written, and, of course, how those messages are conveyed to the public. Weather forecasts, he shows, are often shaped as much by social and cultural factors inside local offices as they are by approaching cumulus clouds.