Weather

Duane Friend teaching at a conference

Time to say farewell to your weather Friend

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...
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a fire burns at night in California just outside a city

Santa Ana winds spur Los Angeles wildfires

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...
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sunset shining through snowy forest

Are cold temperatures good for soil quality?

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...
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Two tornadoes touch down over plains

Watch out for twisters! (Not the movie)

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...
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