Ever since the time of George Washington's presidency, Americans have relied on The Old Farmer's Almanac for their yearly fix of remarkably reliable weather predictions. Author Benjamin A. Watson scoured two centuries of the Almanac, collecting an entertaining and informative treasury of anecdotes, tips, records, and aphorisms about the sunshine, the wind, the rain -- and even the occasional tornado. Now in paperback, The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Weather and Natural Disasters teems with rare historical photographs and etchings, enticing folklore, and unforgettable memorabilia! Did you know that: -- Every day between eight and nine million bolts of lightning strike the earth? -- It was a comet, not Mrs. O'Leary's cow, that started the Great Chicago Fire? -- The number of days the last snowfall remains on the ground indicates the number of snowstorms that will occur during the following winter? -- Like the full moon, the hot and dry Santa Ana winds have been known to incite lunacy in Californians? -- Deer come down from the hills, fish rise to the surface and "bite," dogs roll on the ground and act drowsy, and horses stretch out their necks and sniff the air -- all at the sign of coming rain? -- The most devastating series of earthquakes in U.S. history shook the Mississippi River valley, along the New Madrid Fault in the winter of 1811 - 12? More fun than Willard, more informative than the Weather Channel, The Old Farmer's Almanac Book of Weather and Natural Disasters is a delight to read and a must-have reference work for anyone -- which means everyone -- who worries about carrying an umbrella.