A lightning strike victim’s shoes explode off of his feet when the bolt hits his body. A researcher watches one of the world’s driest deserts burst into bloom after a rainfall. A cemetery manager recalls how Hurricane Irene toppled thousand-pound stone vaults. These are just a few of the stories writer and artist Lauren Redniss tells in Thunder and Lightning: Weather Past, Present, Future, her account of weather’s dramatic side. Using a combination of hand-lettered text and meticulous engravings, Redniss illuminates how weather works, and the sometimes strange ways it shapes our lives. She joins guest host John Dankosky to talk about visiting one of the coldest places on earth and catching a glimpse of The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s storied forecasting formula.
