TORNADOES.
HURRICANES.
HEAT WAVES.

Learn about nature’s most fearsome threats—and the power of seeing them coming

Advance Praise

“A fascinating, vivid, and
enlightening book. 

Cloud Warriors sets a standard in storytelling about our era's most advanced technology, and highest-stake global (and local) trends, in clear and gripping terms. I will never look at the skies, or a weather forecast, in the same way again.”

—James Fallows, author of Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America

Photograph by Emil Cohen

About the Author

THOMAS E. WEBER

is a veteran writer, editor, and newsroom executive with a lifelong interest in how science and technology shape society. He was The Wall Street Journal’s first internet columnist and later became a bureau chief for the paper. As executive editor of Time, he supervised the magazine’s feature journalism. Tom has taught journalism and publishing at Columbia University and New York University as well as at his alma mater, Princeton University. He lives in New York City with his wife.

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PRE-ORDER TODAY

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Advance Praise

  • “Cloud Warriors takes us on a lively journey to reveal the growing stakes of building better weather predictions.

    Going well beyond the familiar, everyday forecast, Weber examines how the newest weather science can protect people from wildfires and tornadoes, contribute to businesses and the economy, and even strengthen humanitarian efforts by giving aid groups a look into the future. Most of all, Cloud Warriors is a testament to how—in a time of divisiveness and misinformation about climate and weather—the clarity of science can help better the world.”

    —Richard Stengel, author of Mandela's Way: Lessons For An Uncertain Age

  • "An eye-opening debut."

    “The vibrant profiles highlight the passion, expertise, and commitment of weather researchers, and the smart blend of meteorology and sociology reveals how extreme weather disproportionately affects the poor...An impassioned case for the value of weather forecasting.”

    —Publishers Weekly

  • “Weird weather and all the risks that go with it—from fires and floods, to health crises and financial catastrophes—are the new normal.

    That means forecasting the weather accurately is now a life or death proposition. In Cloud Warriors, Weber tells us who's doing it and how, in ways that will keep you turning the page.”

    —Rana Foroohar, author of Makers and Takers: How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street

  • "A fascinating look at the state of weather forecasting."

    —Booklist

  • “A fascinating, vivid and enlightening book.

    Cloud Warriors sets a standard in storytelling about our era’s most advanced technology, and highest-stakes global (and local) trends, in clear and gripping terms. I will never look at the skies, or a weather forecast, in the same way again.”

    —James Fallows, author of Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America

  • "Weber aims to increase weather literacy and does an excellent job in helping readers achieve that goal."

    —Library Journal

  • “In any book about climate and weather, the atmosphere itself becomes a powerful character.

    But here, so too do the storm-chasing scientists and algorithm-writing physicists who study and do battle with these natural beasts. In Weber's adept hands, we learn about all of these sets of combatants, courtesy of a yarn that is powerful, compelling and edifying.”

    —Jeffrey Kluger, author of Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon

  • “Cloud Warriors is a unique and fascinating book that combines the thrill of chasing storms with the clarity of scientific insights and the physics behind them.”

    —Dr. Jagadish Shukla, author of A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory

  • A Top Climate Book to Read for 2025

    "Weber dives into the wild—and wildly important—world of forecasting."

    —Heatmap

The Gallery

BEHIND THE SCENES

While out pursuing tornadoes, NSSL storm-chasers stop occasionally to launch weather balloons that take readings as they ascend thousands of feet. These balloons, which are also routinely launched at forecast offices, provide valuable insights on con

While out pursuing tornadoes, NSSL storm-chasers stop occasionally to launch weather balloons that take readings as they ascend thousands of feet. These balloons, which are also routinely launched at forecast offices, provide valuable insights on conditions.

A supercell displaying what’s known as a wall cloud, as photographed by me during a storm chase in southwest Oklahoma. Because they can presage a tornado, these formations are of key interest to researchers.

A supercell displaying what’s known as a wall cloud, as photographed by me during a storm chase in southwest Oklahoma. Because they can presage a tornado, these formations are of key interest to researchers.

Storm-chasers at the National Severe Storms Laboratory gather data with these instrument-studded trucks to better understand tornadoes. To protect the truck from pummeling by hailstones, a wire screen extends over the windshield and hood.

Storm-chasers at the National Severe Storms Laboratory gather data with these instrument-studded trucks to better understand tornadoes. To protect the truck from pummeling by hailstones, a wire screen extends over the windshield and hood.

At the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma, government researchers and forecasters work alongside university experts to improve tornado warnings and advance the quality of predictions.

At the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma, government researchers and forecasters work alongside university experts to improve tornado warnings and advance the quality of predictions.

A supercomputer at the ECMWF. The artwork shows the US East Coast, commemorating the group’s forecast of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. That forecast was celebrated for its accuracy after Sandy slammed into the New Jersey coast.

A supercomputer at the ECMWF. The artwork shows the US East Coast, commemorating the group’s forecast of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. That forecast was celebrated for its accuracy after Sandy slammed into the New Jersey coast.

To learn about computer systems that power predictions, I traveled to Reading, England, to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, home of the top global model. In a quirky tradition, visitors often bring rubber ducks to add to this d

To learn about computer systems that power predictions, I traveled to Reading, England, to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, home of the top global model. In a quirky tradition, visitors often bring rubber ducks to add to this display.

To discover urban heat islands, volunteers drive probe-equipped vehicles on routes like these superimposed on a map of Richmond, Virginia. I rode along to see the data being captured in real time.

To discover urban heat islands, volunteers drive probe-equipped vehicles on routes like these superimposed on a map of Richmond, Virginia. I rode along to see the data being captured in real time.

Volunteers drive cars with these probes to gather temperature and air-quality readings. Riding along in this SUV I was able to observe the hot spots of Richmond, Virginia, and also see factors that contribute to the problem, such as lack of tree cove

Volunteers drive cars with these probes to gather temperature and air-quality readings. Riding along in this SUV I was able to observe the hot spots of Richmond, Virginia, and also see factors that contribute to the problem, such as lack of tree cover.

Heat-mapping projects gather minute-by-minute temperature readings to discover which neighborhoods are most vulnerable. Among weather dangers, heat is the deadliest in the US.

Heat-mapping projects gather minute-by-minute temperature readings to discover which neighborhoods are most vulnerable. Among weather dangers, heat is the deadliest in the US.

I traveled to San Diego to observe public/private cooperation critical to wildfire prevention. Weather Service forecasters here coordinate constantly with key groups, including Cal Fire and the San Diego power utility.

I traveled to San Diego to observe public/private cooperation critical to wildfire prevention. Weather Service forecasters here coordinate constantly with key groups, including Cal Fire and the San Diego power utility.

The New York State Mesonet blankets the area with weather stations that provide granular data that helps everyone from the Department of Transportation to local emergency managers. Cameras with the instruments give real-time views of conditions.

The New York State Mesonet blankets the area with weather stations that provide granular data that helps everyone from the Department of Transportation to local emergency managers. Cameras with the instruments give real-time views of conditions.

Better forecasts are good for business and new industries, as I saw at this Walmart. To get drone deliveries safely to their destinations, operators review critical hyperlocal forecasts of nearby wind conditions.

Better forecasts are good for business and new industries, as I saw at this Walmart. To get drone deliveries safely to their destinations, operators review critical hyperlocal forecasts of nearby wind conditions.

The dizzying array of windows on a typical National Weather Service forecaster’s workstation. Meteorologists sift constantly through hundreds of data sources to fine-tune predictions, as I saw when I embedded with a local-office meteorologist.

The dizzying array of windows on a typical National Weather Service forecaster’s workstation. Meteorologists sift constantly through hundreds of data sources to fine-tune predictions, as I saw when I embedded with a local-office meteorologist.