Mathis, Nancy

PERSONAL:

Born in Blackwell, OK. Education: Attended Northeastern State University; graduated from University of Oklahoma, 1980.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Silver Spring, MD.

CAREER:

Journalist. Former journalist with the Tulsa World, Tulsa Tribune, and the Daily Oklahoman. Former staff member with Washington bureau of the Houston Chronicle. Works in media relations.

WRITINGS:

Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals.

SIDELIGHTS:

Nancy Mathis's Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado, concerns the May 3, 1999, spawning of seventy tornadoes in the Oklahoma area, including the most powerful tornado on record. This super tornado, with record winds of up to 300 miles per hour, ripped through the suburbs of Oklahoma City. Mathis includes information on the meteorological makeup of the tornado and how it came to be. However, she spends the major part of the book discussing the human side of the story, including the victims, scientists, and storm chasers. A contributor to Publishers Weekly noted that "Mathis has written a book that helps readers locate the story behind the spectacle." Jeffrey Beall, writing in the Library Journal, called it a "compelling read." Booklist contributor David Pitt found that Mathis "makes us feel as though we are right there in the midst of the holocaust."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 6, 2007, review of Storm Warning: The Story of a Killer Tornado.

Booklist, January 1, 2007, David Pitt, review of Storm Warning, p. 31.

Library Journal, February 1, 2007, Jeffrey Beall, review of Storm Warning, p. 94.

Publishers Weekly, January 1, 2007, review of Storm Warning, p. 43.

ONLINE

Weather Underground,http://www.wunderground.com/ (August 16, 2007), Jeff Masters, review of Storm Warning.