A new book by Eric Fisher, CBS Boston’s chief meteorologist, takes the reader on a thorough and informative ride through New England’s weather history. “Mighty Storms of New England” examines the big storms and other weather events that have helped to shape the region since the dawn of the United States.
Fisher’s regional knowledge mingles with his meteorological experience to tell each story in a vivid and informed way, whether it’s a tale of a storm in the 1600s or in the present day. In addition to the compelling stories, Fisher also highlights the role that many tragic weather disasters of New England’s past played in bringing about improvements in infrastructure and forecasting.
This thoroughly researched book is a must-have for anyone with an interest in weather and weather history. You certainly don’t have to live in New England to find the book fascinating or educational.
I asked Fisher a few questions about the book. His responses have been lightly edited.
Q. Your meteorological career has focused on television. What made you decide to write this book?
A. I had been tossing around the idea of a book for years, but, to be honest, the final push to give it a try came from a publisher, Globe Pequot. They reached out to me back in late 2019 and said they wanted to publish a book about some of the biggest weather events in New England history and hoped that I might want to author it. I thought it sounded like a good challenge, offered up some storm candidates, and away we went!
It was written during that first year of the pandemic, so a lot of research was scouring the Internet looking at old government reports, reading newspaper articles, checking out local historical societies, et cetera. I’d pick a “storm type” and focus on a group before moving on to the next. We get just about everything except dust storms up here, so I attempted to choose several of the biggest from snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal storms, floods, and summer hazards like heat waves and fire.
Q. I noticed snowstorms come first. Was the placement intentional?
A. Absolutely. If you ask anyone what type of weather New England is known for, I think the first thing that comes to mind is nor’easters burying the region in snow and conjuring up huge waves to crash upon the shore. Our summers and falls are arguably the most beautiful and pleasant time of year, but the weather sausage is made in winter. It’s the most difficult season for us to forecast, and the challenge is why so many meteorologists end up coming from this part of the country. It’s endlessly fascinating and humbling.
Q. 2015 and the Boston snow blitz are surely fresh in many minds. It of course found a proper place in ‘Mighty Storms.’ What was it like living in and forecasting at ground zero of that historic stretch of weather?
A. This was, by far, the most incredible stretch of weather I’ve ever witnessed here in New England. It was so wild, so out of the norm, so preposterous by the end that you just had to laugh to keep from crying. The most amazing part of it was that the pattern was absolutely stuck in place, and almost no one was getting creamed by snow except eastern New England. Washington, D.C., had a less snowy than usual winter while we had a record-setter! It was as if nature had its eye fixed directly on us.
At the time, though, we were sweating it out a bit. Our team at WBZ predicted a harsh and snowy winter, perhaps record snowy. And in mid-January, barely anything had happened. Well, we made up for that in short order.
I think I was in the office every day for about six straight weeks. And at the same time, training for the Boston Marathon (yes, outside). I am very glad that my wife and I did not yet have children during the 2015 blitz, because I probably would have passed out from exhaustion by the end of it.
Q. One of the more striking sections is titled “The Year Maine Burned.” I found it particularly thought-provoking in its storytelling and scope. The scenes you describe (from 1947) in your writing seem to come out of the Western U.S., where massive fires are common. Is fire something New Englanders still need to worry about?
A. It’s a unique chapter, because, frankly, it’s just something that doesn’t exist anymore in New England. It was a time before effective firefighting in the region and coordinated efforts to spot and snuff out wildfire. Then came a highly unusual stretch of weather which laid the groundwork for a firestorm across the state. It truly does have a feel of the events we see across the West, and I found it fascinating how it changed many parts of Maine in ways we can still see today.
I don’t believe enormous wildfire outbreaks like that are a huge threat these days in New England, and we seem to be trending wetter overall compared to the opposite out West. But never say never. … An unusually dry pattern and some careless sparks can still bring trouble.
Q. I’ve noticed you’ve been on the book event circuit. Are there storms – specific or genres – that audiences have gravitated toward in discussion? Any surprises?
A. I decided that I’d mix some interests and do a “Books and Brews” tour this autumn and winter, which has been a ton of fun with weather-themed drinks and lots of storm stories. The atmosphere lends itself to people just coming to hang out and talk about their favorite events!
Two things come up the most when talking to folks at the signings – hurricanes and the Blizzard of ’78. I’m not sure when the day will come when people in Boston stop talking about the Blizzard of ’78, but it’s not anytime soon. It’s still etched in a lot of minds! Part of that is the immensity of the storm, but the other is just that it can’t really be replicated. It would be difficult to get caught off guard by a record-setting blizzard in the 2020s. They don’t just pop out of nowhere anymore, and if there’s a complaint, it’s that we talk about storms too far in advance rather than finding out when you leave the house in the morning!
As for surprises, I think it’s mostly just been a pleasant surprise how many different types of people show up. I always say weather is one of the few things we experience universally as humans, and it shows in the diversity of “weather geeks” that are interested in the book. We all work, play and travel through weather, and it’s an easy thing to talk about with anyone you come across.
Q. Besides snow, many of the long-remembered events of New England are hurricanes. As your book shows, New England is more than snow and hurricanes when it comes to news-making weather. There are powerful tornadoes, major heat waves, firestorms and more. Today, it often feels like we’re living through more “mighty” storms. Has your research concluded anything there?
A. When I was trying to come up with the biggest storms, I gravitated toward older events, even though we have had all sorts of noteworthy and incredible storms in recent years. I’m not entirely sure why I drifted that way, but I think there’s something about the way storms hit in modern times versus the past, when forecasting and warning was more rudimentary and we were more ill-equipped to handle nature’s outbursts.
[Note: This Q&A was conducted before the Blizzard of 2022 in late January.]
When we talk about the ’38 hurricane, the discussion is about how everyone literally walked out their front door without a clue that one of the worst storms in history was going to arrive in a couple of hours. When the Worcester tornado hit in 1953, no one had even mentioned tornado in a forecast warning before. When the ’36 floods hit the Connecticut River Valley, there weren’t any significant flood controls in place. The last time a major hurricane made landfall here, satellites didn’t exist. There’s just something intrinsically fascinating about these types of storms versus the ones we see coming for days now and generally bounce back from quickly.
That’s not to say we don’t feel pain when there’s a tornado, tropical storm, or blizzard. But I feel it’s on a different plane than ones from decades ago. I suppose the entire point of forecasting is for “nothing” to happen. You get information to prepare, stage supplies, attack the problem when it leaves, and get back to business. It just wasn’t an option for people in the past.
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