I love weather in any form - except freezing rain (ha, weather joke). It’s always exciting when I can find new weather material to dive into. And somehow, this month I found two new items that I’d love to share:
 

Have you ever wondered what the thesis of a person majoring in meteorology and music might be? Of course you did. Well, wonder no further. I give you Stormlapse. Ninety minutes of breathtaking storm footage set to emotional music. No dialogue. No text of any kind, except for the title screen. It is kind of the Fantasia of the weather world.

Wait, don’t leave! It was absolutely beautiful. I was on the edge of my couch and even gasped out loud a few times. Some of the shots are amazing - with colors and lightning and clouds. There are some tornadoes, of course, but they are not the focus. I wish there was a commentary track with a meteorologist who could explain what we are seeing. As a trained storm spotter, I know some of the terms, but not all of them, and I’d love to learn from something so amazing.

If I can have one critique, it was about 15 minutes too long. Like that captivating jazz solo that goes on an extra eight bars, this film, too, started to lose me at the end. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t make this my screen saver in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, if I did, I would never get any work done.
 

A brand new book about the last 500 years of hurricanes? Ah, yes please. If you like history and weather, this is the book for you. Dolin provides a great overview of all the big-named storms from the past several centuries. Labor Day Hurricane of 1935? Check. Hurricane Camille? Check. And don’t forget Andrew, Katrina, or Sandy. They all get to come to the party, too. I’m not sure why I’m so fascinated with hurricanes considering I’ve lived my whole life in land-locked states. But I enjoy watching the weather and I enjoyed reading this book. If you’re a weather nerd like me, you’ll come for the hurricanes, but you’ll stay for the bibliography at the end. I think there were a few books in there that I haven’t read yet.  

Ok friends - between the 8000 hurricanes currently circling the gulfs and the entire West Coast being on fire - this is the perfect time to enjoy new weather materials from the safety of your own home. 

Stay safe out there!

Happy weathering…
:) Amanda