As people continue to develop coastal areas, society's liability to hurricanes will dramatically increase, regardless of changes in the environment. This book addresses these key issues, providing a detailed examination of

Praise for the previous edition: "...a strong pick for any collection strong in weather science at the high school or college levels."—Midwest Book Review "The entries in the encyclopedia make great reading...has considerable merit and most libraries will want to purchase the volume for their reference collections."—American Reference Books Annual "...comprehensive, highly readable...Recommended."—Choice "...a fact-filled work with articles that are informative and accessible to both student and lay reader...a reasonable and worthwhile investment for both academic and public libraries...larger libraries may want this title for their circulating collections as well."—Against the Grain Now in its third edition, this comprehensive encyclopedia covers all major aspects of tropical cyclone activity. Hundreds of extensively cross-referenced A-to-Z entries detail cyclonic storms in meteorology, history, and culture, along with accessible definitions of technical terms and engaging narratives that capture the dramatic intensity of tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones and the devastation and loss that often resulted. Hurricanes Andrew, Dean, Felix, Gilbert, Wilma, Sandy, and Maria are covered in detail in this comprehensive reference, as well as the most destructive and deadly tropical cyclone witnessed in the United States in the last 50 years—Hurricane Katrina.

Presents a detailed encyclopedia of named hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones, descriptions of storm activity, definitions of meteorological terms, and more.

This book surveys the past, present, and potential future variability of hurricanes and typhoons on a variety of timescales using newly developed approaches based on geological and archival records, in addition to more traditional approaches based on the analysis of the historical record of tropical cyclone tracks. A unique aspect of the book is that it provides an overview of the developing field of paleotempestology, which uses geological, biological, and documentary evidence to reconstruct prehistoric changes in hurricane landfall. The book also presents a particularly wide sampling of ongoing efforts to extend the best track data sets using historical material from many sources, including Chinese archives, British naval logbooks, Spanish colonial records, and early diaries from South Carolina. The book will be of particular interest to tropical meteorologists, geologists, and climatologists as well as to the catastrophe reinsurance industry, graduate students in meteorology, and public employees active in planning and emergency management.

The Sunshine State has an exceptionally stormy past. Vulnerable to storms that arise in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, Florida has been hit by far more hurricanes than any other state. In many ways, hurricanes have helped shape Florida's history. Early efforts by the French, Spanish, and English to claim the territory as their own were often thwarted by hurricanes. More recently, storms have affected such massive projects as Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad and efforts to manage water in South Florida. In this book, Jay Barnes offers a fascinating and informative look at Florida's hurricane history. Drawing on meteorological research, news reports, first-person accounts, maps, and historical photographs, he traces all of the notable hurricanes that have affected the state over the last four-and-a-half centuries, from the great storms of the early colonial period to the devastating hurricanes of 2004 and 2005--Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma. In addition to providing a comprehensive chronology of more than one hundred individual storms, Florida's Hurricane History includes information on the basics of hurricane dynamics, formation, naming, and forecasting. It explores the origins of the U.S. Weather Bureau and government efforts to study and track hurricanes in Florida, home of the National Hurricane Center. But the book does more than examine how hurricanes have shaped Florida's past; it also looks toward the future, discussing the serious threat that hurricanes continue to pose to both lives and property in the state. Filled with more than 200 photographs and maps, the book also features a foreword by Steve Lyons, tropical weather expert for the Weather Channel. It will serve as both an essential reference on hurricanes in Florida and a remarkable source of the stories--of tragedy and destruction, rescue and survival--that foster our fascination with these powerful storms.