If you’ve been outside and experienced those first drops of rain, especially after a dry spell, you know that smell. You might even be able to sense the smell a little before it starts to rain, a signal that rain is coming. Even after a rain, a sweet musty odor will linger for some time.
A few...
During a storm, no one likes to hear the sound of the community tornado siren or weather alert going off. Everyone living in the Midwest has experienced those warnings, but few have experienced an actual tornado.
My closest call with a tornado occurred when I was little, and it was actually...
There are several types of thunderstorms, from the single cell “pop-up’ thunderstorms that occurs on warm summer afternoons, to multi cell thunderstorms that move along like a train (hence the name training thunderstorms) to squall lines. Supercell thunderstorms are a much different storm.
A...
Have you ever noticed grass looking greener after a spring rain?
Hold that thought.
As you look into how nature works, you see a lot of plant nutrient cycling taking place. Makes sense since the earth isn’t getting any deliveries from Mars. Nitrogen is an essential component of...
Early spring in Illinois can be a battle between the last of cold winter weather and the mild air of spring. On relatively rare occasions in March, we can experience warm, muggy air that normally doesn’t reach us until April or May. When this occurs early in spring, it’s best to be on guard...
I’m now at the point in my life where I know others look at me and think I’m old. For truth in advertising, I’m currently 61; actually 61 ½, but the pleasure in saying the ½ left many decades ago.
I can talk about my weather experiences with a sense of sage nostalgia. Case in point, I...
Many people have heard of Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel. He is even more of a weather geek than I am. In February 2011, the Midwest was hit with a very strong winter storm, and Cantore was in in Chicago reporting on its effects there....
You’re watching a local weather forecast or checking it online when you notice it says temperatures will be 'above normal or below normal.' But what does this actually mean?
Normal is Average
In most cases, the word 'normal' is used in place of 'average.'
Average Daily Temperature...
Two words people have learned to dread in the past few years is "polar vortex." People may not know a lot about what that is, other than it usually means we may be in for some bitterly cold temperatures.
The worst outbreak in my experience was December 23, 1983. I had just finished my...
