Storm

Starred review from July 15, 2021
A massive winter storm brings destruction, peril, and death to drought-plagued California. The Chief Meteorologist at the U.S. Weather Bureau in San Francisco feels a tug of disappointment as the local weather remains, day after day, fair and unchanged. Meanwhile, the Junior Meteorologist, preparing a map of weather data over the Pacific Ocean, notices the birth of a charming new baby storm in miniature, which he secretly christens Maria. The storm moves eastward, growing in size and, within a few days, bringing torrential rain and snowfall. Managers, and maintenance workers responsible for major roads, long-distance telephone lines, railroads, airports, and Sacramento's flood gates are mobilized. A coyote, an owl, and a huge boar named Blue Boy are caught in the storm along with ordinary citizens. In the notorious Donner Pass, a telephone line goes down. At Windy Point, a crucial highway is blocked. Motorists Max and Jen go missing. Panicked farmers telephone the flood gates' manager, begging him not to inundate their fields as the rivers rise. A pilot flies a plane full of passengers into the storm. Within her life span of just 11 days, Maria puts all of them in jeopardy. Some survive; others don't. A new introduction by Nathaniel Rich provides historical context for Stewart's reissued classic, first published in 1941. Pure excitement for eco-fiction fans.

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