🌦️ Tom Skilling spent 45 years forecasting Chicago’s wildest weather — now he’s sounding the alarm about the future of science.

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Beloved for turning complex forecasts into must-watch TV, Tom has traded daily broadcasts for a new mission: protecting the research, truth, and science that keep us safe.

For 45 years, Tom Skilling was Chicago’s go-to source for weather — trusted, beloved, and known for making complicated science easy to understand. Now, a year and a half into retirement, Tom is proving life after news can be just as full of passion, purpose, and even a little adrenaline.

In this conversation, Jason Ball catches up with Tom at his Hawaii home to talk about:

·       🪂 How a “joke” turned into a skydiving adventure (and why he’s tempted to try it again over volcanoes).

·       🌴 The Big Island’s wild microclimates vs. Chicago’s weather extremes.

·       📻 From a weather-obsessed 14-year-old on local radio to America’s most recognized meteorologist.

·       🌍 Why he went from climate change skeptic to outspoken advocate for weather science.

·       📺 Behind the scenes at WGN — superstation days, early computer graphics, and holding his ground against “just tell us the temperature” consultants.

·       ⚡ The 38-year run of the Fermilab Tornado & Severe Weather Seminars and why public science education matters.

·       🚨 His warning about dangerous cuts to U.S. weather research.

·       💡 Advice for the next generation of meteorologists: “Be too dumb to know you’re not supposed to be able to do what you want to do — and go for it.”

Whether you’re a weather geek or just curious about how science, media, and storytelling collide, this episode is a masterclass in passion, persistence, and purpose.

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📱 Follow Jason: Instagram @Mr.JasonBall | @LifeAfterNewsPod

 

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