Eric Fisher's First Book 'Mighty Storms Of New England' Looks At Meteorology Behind Biggest Weather Events

BOSTON (CBS) - Looking for a holiday gift for that weather geek in your life? WBZ-TV Chief Meteorologist Eric Fisher has a stormy stocking stuffer you might run across at your local bookstore.

"Mighty Storms of New England – The Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Blizzards, and Floods That Shaped The Region" is Fisher's first foray into writing, and takes a look at some of New England's notoriously fickle weather from the 1600s to current times.

"It was a bit of a pandemic project" says Fisher, who was approached by Globe Pequot publishing about the idea. "They said they were interested in putting together a book like this and having me write it. Little did I know the world would shut down shortly after starting and I'd have a lot more free time at home on my hands to dig in!"

More than just storm stories, the book looks into some of the meteorology behind the biggest weather events to blow through the area. From the Blizzard of '78 to the Great Colonial Hurricane, Fisher has selected several high-impact events from each style of severe weather we experience here.

"While researching all these storms, what stuck out to me was how almost every one of them led to some sort of societal or technological shift. We're not always proactive when it comes to preparing for nature, but these were all so big that everyone collectively decided something had to change" says Fisher.

For instance, Doppler radar rolled out and a National Storm Prediction Center was created in the aftermath of the Worcester tornado in 1953. A National Hurricane Center started up after Hurricane Carol in 1954. Flood controls were ramped up after major floods in the 1930s, and underground subways were built in the wake of the 1888 blizzard.

Fisher has been on a book signing tour this fall, meeting fellow weather enthusiasts at local breweries. Stops at Idle Hands in Malden, Tree House in Charlton, and Vitamin Sea in Weymouth were turned into weather conferences while people stopped in to share their favorite events.

Up next is a stop at Channel Marker Brewing in Beverly on Saturday, November 20th. You can find Mighty Storms of New England at local booksellers, on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.