webinar register page

Superstorm 1950 with David Call

Superstorm 1950: The Greatest Simultaneous Blizzard, Ice Storm, Windstorm, and Cold Outbreak of the Twentieth Century examines the immediate impact of the Great Appalachian or Thanksgiving storm, covering not just meteorology, but also its wide-ranging social impacts, which varied by race, class, and gender. This was no ordinary weather event. Its giant size and multiple record-setting hazards—including snow, ice, flooding, wind, and cold temperatures—were cataclysmic. The weather records it established remain benchmarks of extreme weather to this day. The repercussions continue to affect us today, in obvious areas like weather forecasting, and in surprising areas like Ohio State football and government tax policy. Because superstorms are not as familiar as hurricanes or tornadoes, they can be overlooked in terms of weather-related disasters. This is a mistake. Vulnerability to weather disasters is increasing, and a similar storm today would likely be the most expensive weather disaster ever in the United States. Superstorm 1950 serves not only as a riveting account of one of the greatest disasters in US history, but also provides a premonition of what may come if global climate change is not confronted.

Mar 28, 2023 07:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)