Why Tom Skilling credits Chicago for his phenomenal career
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WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling delivers a report at WGN headquarters in Chicago on Jan. 24. Photo: Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Mother Nature may have a send-off for WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling.
The big picture: Chicago is wrapping up its warmest February on record and could see severe weather Tuesday night and into Wednesday, the iconic weatherman's last day on air.
Catch up quick: Skilling announced last fall that he would retire after 45 years on Chicago television.
- Skilling (whose 72nd birthday was last week) has weathered storms, television format changes and his own health issues to become one of Chicago's most treasured broadcasters.
Context: Raised in New Jersey, Skilling's family moved to Aurora when he was in seventh grade. At 14, he did volunteer weather reports at a local radio station.
- After starting his professional career with stops in Jacksonville and Milwaukee, Skilling arrived at WGN-TV in Chicago in 1978.
- To differentiate himself from competitors, he started doing deeper dives into the weather.
What he's saying: "I used to scare the living daylights out of these news consultants, because the basic function of the weather report was to tell everybody whether it's going to rain tomorrow," Skilling tells Axios.
- "I could never figure out why it was considered objectionable to explain to people how tomorrow's weather was going to evolve, or how the jet stream played a big role in developing storms and their severity and intensity. It wasn't brain surgery. Now, everybody is doing it, but it wasn't the case when I was starting out."
Zoom in: Skilling says Chicago is a big reason for his success. He wouldn't have as much fun forecasting weather in steadier markets, like California.
- "We're right in the temperate latitudes," Skilling says of Chicago. "Nature fights it out around here seasonally, and it makes the job more interesting. I think we're more weather-conscious out here because of it."
Between the lines: The volatile nature of our weather can make for violent outbursts like tornadoes, which Skilling has always been fascinated with — even riding around with storm chasers in 2010.
The intrigue: Everyone will remember him getting it right, but Skilling himself thinks about the smaller moments, or even the forecasts that he got wrong.
- "Look, we've all had busted forecasts," he says. "It goes with the territory, and it breaks your heart. The one that still tugs at my heartstrings was the Plainfield tornado. We should have put out more warning. I lay in bed thinking of that one."
Zoom out: Skilling may be retiring Wednesday, but he's not slowing down. He's had some health issues, but he feels more energetic than ever, thanks in part to his gastric bypass surgery.
- "It's going to be interesting to see what the years ahead look like," Skilling says. "I still have life in me."
The bottom line: "This career has been a dream come true," Skilling says. "Not everything has been perfect, but I feel that I've been very, very, very lucky in a very challenging world."