March marks the beginning of spring, so it’s only natural that a young girl’s thoughts turn to...yup, you guessed it…severe weather. Tennessee’s official Severe Weather Awareness week happened from February 28 to March 5, but if you missed it, don’t fret. Nashville Public Library has lots of severe weather materials to get you informed before Mother Nature gets cranky.
My favorite weather items to read are books about tornados. While these are entertaining after the fact, they won’t do much to educate about what exactly causes the windy spirals and why forecasters can’t always predict their occurrence. But recently the library ordered a new Great Courses series called Meteorology: An Introduction to the Wonders of the Weather. This is a four disc set, plus a digital course workbook that includes 24, half-hour lessons on weather. Topics range from basic discussions about the atmosphere to wind to lightning to the actual ability of forecasters to predict future weather.
The class is taught by Robert G. Fovell, who initially looks like snobby, know-it-all professor who flunks everyone just because he can. But as the series goes on, I really started to like him. He’s funny and he not only knows his subject matter, but he attempts to make it comprehensible for those of us who don’t have advanced degrees in mathematics or fluid dynamics. At one point I considered being a meteorologist, but then I found out that they had to know all that hard stuff, like calculus, and I’ve never been the biggest fan of math. I CAN do it, I simply CHOOSE not to.
I’m still working through the set, and I thought this might be something that would not have the biggest demand so I’d be able to renew it. But shock upon shock, there is currently a holds list for this item. Way to go Weather Nerds! I promise to be responsible and share this as soon as my time is up (but I might have to put myself back in line for it and go again!)
If you don’t want to wait for your turn with this set, you can check out all my other weather-related recommendations on the Popmatic Podcast. I christened this whole month "March Weather Madness" and there is something for everyone – hurricanes, tornadoes, and Al Roker (be not afraid…). Be sure to tune in to tomorrow’s episode (March 9) when I make all the guys celebrate weather with me (and no one mentions a comic book!)
Happy weather watching…
:) Amanda
