The Weather Machine

How We See Into the Future

Andrew Blum author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:27th Jun '19

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The Weather Machine cover

A gripping account of the ingenious minds who gathered together the greatest technological inventions of our species to create a machine that can see into our planet's future with astonishing accuracy

‘This fascinating book reveals the existence and origins of surely one of our species’ greatest creations’ (MARK VANHOENACKER, author of Skyfaring) – The Weather Machine is about a miraculous-but-overlooked invention that helps us through our daily lives – and sometimes saves them – by allowing us to see into the future.

Shall we take an umbrella… or evacuate the city? When Superstorm Sandy hit North America, weather scientists had predicted its arrival a full eight days beforehand, saving countless lives and astonishing us with their capability. Their skill is unprecedented in human history and draws on nearly every major invention of the last two centuries: Newtonian physics, telecommunications, spaceflight and super-computing.

In this gripping investigation, Andrew Blum takes us on a global journey to explain this awe-inspiring feat – from satellites circling the Earth, to weather stations far out in the ocean, through some of the most ingenious minds and advanced algorithms at work today. Our destination: the simulated models they have constructed of our planet, which spin faster than time, turning chaos into prediction, offering glimpses of our future with eery precision.

This collaborative invention spans the Earth and relies on continuous co-operation between all nations – a triumph of human ingenuity and diplomacy we too often shrug off as a tool for choosing the right footwear each morning. But in this new era of extreme weather, we may come to rely on its maintenance and survival for our own.

This fascinating book reveals the existence and origins of surely one of our species’ greatest creations, and Andrew Blum is the perfect writer to share both the remarkable human stories and the astonishing technical wizardry behind it all -- MARK VANHOENACKER, author of Skyfaring
It’s easy to … overlook the monumental achievement [weather forecasts] represent … The Weather Machineasks us to pause and marvel at … one of humankind’s greatest accomplishments * New Yorker *
Revelatory … convey[s] the technical brilliance and political significance of an achievement that hides in plain sight. The machine’s complexity alone is off all familiar charts … Blum does an excellent job * Telegraph *
I strongly recommend th[is] book, which is a fascinating glimpse of a mysterious world -- Tim Haford, author of The Undercover Economist
Blum’s wonderful book succeeds in making the science and industry of forecasting the weather … at once vitally human, technologically awesome and urgently, thrillingly relevant * Royal Geographical Society *
Sharp, stylish and often surprising. In this absorbing book Andrew Blum tracks the development, from wild dream to astonishing reality, of the quietly revolutionary technology that shapes our everyday lives -- PETER MOORE, author of The Weather Experiment
Exhilarating ... a hurricane-force tour of one of the most astonishing but under-appreciated facets of the modern world -- LEWIS DARTNELL, author of Origins
Written with an ease and beauty that will captivate anyone who is simply curious about how things work and came to be' (Literary Review) * Literary Review *
A vivid account of the history and evolution of the modern daily forecast... Blum is a sharp analyst and engaging guide, adept at translating difficult concepts in meteorology and computer science for the uninitiated * Economist *
Andrew Blum’s excellent book describes a global meteorological machine that uses scientific models of the atmosphere to convert observations into ever more accurate speculations – or forecasts – of future weather … all described in lively detail * Financial Times *
Totally fascinating to anyone with even a passing interest in weather or technology * Gizmodo *
[A] compelling survey of meteorological acceleration from nineteenth-century hand-drawn charts to the trillions of calculations per second performed by today’s supercomputers * Times Literary Supplement *
Andrew Blum is a master of revealing the hidden systems behind technologies we take for granted. In the The Weather Machine he takes on the daily forecast, and the result is deeply researched, tightly written, compulsively readable and totally fascinating -- SETH FLETCHER, author of Einstein’s Shadow

ISBN: 9781847923400

Dimensions: 222mm x 144mm x 24mm

Weight: 346g

224 pages