Book excerpt: Praise for the previous edition: "...a strong pick for any collection strong in weather science at the high school or college levels."—Midwest Book Review "The entries in the encyclopedia make great reading...has considerable merit and most libraries will want to purchase the volume for their reference collections."—American Reference Books Annual "...comprehensive, highly readable...Recommended."—Choice "...a fact-filled work with articles that are informative and accessible to both student and lay reader...a reasonable and worthwhile investment for both academic and public libraries...larger libraries may want this title for their circulating collections as well."—Against the Grain Now in its third edition, this comprehensive encyclopedia covers all major aspects of tropical cyclone activity. Hundreds of extensively cross-referenced A-to-Z entries detail cyclonic storms in meteorology, history, and culture, along with accessible definitions of technical terms and engaging narratives that capture the dramatic intensity of tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones and the devastation and loss that often resulted. Hurricanes Andrew, Dean, Felix, Gilbert, Wilma, Sandy, and Maria are covered in detail in this comprehensive reference, as well as the most destructive and deadly tropical cyclone witnessed in the United States in the last 50 years—Hurricane Katrina.