Mother Jones illustration; Photo by Emil Cohen

To a native Floridian, the six-month slog of hurricane season that begins June 1 and ends November 30 triggers a certain sense of impending doom. Whether you live by the beach or farther inland, the threat of a storm this time of year is always possible. I’ve experienced several hurricanes at this point, most recently Hurricane Milton last October, which pummeled much of Florida’s Gulf coast with storm surge and winds upwards of 120 mph. Neighborhoods like mine that weren’t in evacuation or flood zones were inundated, damaging homes and businesses. Ours became one of the thousands of households damaged by the Category 3 storm when a massive oak tree toppled on top of my home’s roof. My family wasn’t hurt, which is all that mattered, but the hard reality that no one in Florida is immune during hurricane season became heightened for me and much of my community in Tampa Bay.

My fears only intensified earlier this year when the Trump administration announced it would substantially cut funding to the National Weather Service and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, slashing hundreds of jobs and crucial research that would improve forecast predictions at a time when climate change will inevitably fuel larger and deadlier natural disasters. In May, NOAA predicted an “above normal” hurricane season, but fortunately, it’s been a relatively dormant summer—so far. The closest threat, Hurricane Erin, remained in the Atlantic Ocean largely away from the East Coast.

There’s still plenty of time for a major storm to hit the US, especially since historically September is one of the most active months of the season. So, I went to my local bookstore and picked up a copy of Cloud Warriors: Deadly Storms, Climate Chaos—and the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting by veteran journalist Thomas E. Weber. He is a former Wall Street Journal columnist and bureau chief, and past executive editor of Time. Weber’s book, published in June, explores the decades of advances in meteorology through the experiences of the people who predict the weather, from tornado chasers to scientists in research labs. Based in New York City, Weber spoke to me on the phone........

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