As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. This author will be heading out to pasture and retiring in May after working with University of Illinois Extension since 1993. I have sincerely enjoyed sharing weather phenomena over the years with youth and adults through in-person programs...
April is one of the wettest times of the year in Illinois and across the Midwest. On average, Illinois receives about 4.24 inches of rain during this month. That rain can be light, with very small raindrops, or heavy, with large raindrops. Let’s explore how raindrops form and their size, and speed...
In Illinois, February can still have some extremely cold days, but also some hints of spring. It gives us a taste of the warmer weather to come. Yes, March can be chilly, but extreme cold is almost never present, especially in the last 10 to 20 years.In some cases, you’ll read or hear talk about...
At the time I’m writing this, a tragedy is occurring in the Los Angeles area. Thousands of acres have burned, and countless homes, businesses, and vehicles have been lost to wildfires spurred on by intense winds.The mechanism that led to this epic event is not new, but it is rare that it occurs...
Cold winter air is one reason that we have highly productive soil in Illinois and the Midwest. Temperature plays a major role in how much organic matter is present in soils. Soil organic matter is carbon-based material, such as organic substances given off by plant roots, that has been broken...
We have all heard the story of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620 and the harsh conditions endured during the winter. The following year, they learned, with the help of indigenous people, how to survive at this location. We probably also relate what they went through to what we see...
We’re nearing that time of year when we’ll start to get warnings about the potential for a frost or freeze taking place. Is there really a difference between the two?Frosts occur close to the groundFrosts can occur even when a thermometer at eye level shows temperatures a few degrees above freezing...
Labor Day weekend is usually considered the last holiday of summer. It’s one last chance to gather with friends and family for a cookout, games, or beach time. On beaches along the Gulf Coast and southern Atlantic Seaboard, this is also a time when people are wary of the weather. Several major...
At the time I’m writing this, Twisters, the sequel to the cow-flying film Twister released in 1996, just hit the movie theatres. Luckily, I didn’t make a spectacle of myself during the original, shouting out about all the scientific inaccuracies. While I have not yet seen the new...
Most people who read this blog know most of the symbols on a weather map, such as warm and cold fronts, high- and low-pressure areas, and stationary fronts. However, there may be one type of symbol you’ve seen and maybe even know the term for, but don’t really know what it means. That is the...
