The saga of the greatest tornado chaser who ever lived: a tale of obsession and daring and an extraordinary account of humanityâs high-stakes race to understand natureâs fiercest phenomenon from Brantley Hargrove, âone of todayâs great science writersâ (The Washington Post).
At the turn of the twenty-first century, the tornado was one of the last true mysteries of the modern world. It was a monster that ravaged the American heartland a thousand times each year, yet scienceâs every effort to divine its inner workings had ended in failure. Researchers all but gave up, until the arrival of an outsider.
In a field of PhDs, Tim Samaras didnât attend a day of college in his life. He chased storms with brilliant tools of his own invention and pushed closer to the tornado than anyone else ever dared. When he achieved what meteorologists had deemed impossible, it was as if he had snatched the fire of the gods. Yet even as he transformed the field, Samaras kept on pushing. As his ambitions grew, so did the risks. And when he finally met his matchâin a faceoff against the largest tornado ever recordedâit upended everything he thought he knew.
Brantley Hargrove delivers a âcinematically thrilling and scientifically wonkyâ (Outside) tale, chronicling the life of Tim Samaras in all its triumph and tragedy. Hargrove takes readers inside the thrill of the chase, the captivating science of tornadoes, and the remarkable character of a man who walked the line between life and death in pursuit of knowledge. The Man Who Caught the Storm is an âadrenaline rush of a tornado chaseâŚReaders from all across the spectrum will enjoy thisâ (Library Journal, starred review) unforgettable exploration of obsession and the extremes of the natural world.