Tom Skilling

CHICAGO — The much-anticipated solar eclipse took place over several hours Monday — and did not disappoint. Tom Skilling came out of retirement and lead the WGN coverage of the eclipse from downstate Illinois. Demetrius Ivory was in Cleveland, Ohio. For Chicagoland, the partial eclipse began at 12:51 p.m., with a maximum eclipse of 94.6% […]

MAKANDA, Ill. — Former WGN Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling is taking a quick break from his retirement for the 2024 solar eclipse. Skilling, along with an entire WGN News team, are on site in Makanda, Illinois — about five hours south of Chicago — for Monday’s celestial extravaganza. It is the same location where Skilling […]

MAKANDA, Ill. — Former WGN Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling is taking a quick break from his retirement for the 2024 solar eclipse. Skilling, along with an entire WGN News team, are on site in Makanda, Illinois — about five hours south of Chicago — for Monday’s celestial extravaganza. It is the same location where Skilling […]

“THE APRIL 8th SOLAR ECLIPSE APPROACHES: Is this exciting or what?! I’ll be joining the WGN-TV eclipse live coverage a week from today on Monday, April 8th from 1pm to 2:30pm and am really looking forward to joining our team for this celestial extravaganza! We’ll have team members located across the Midwest. I hope you’ll […]

“I awakened early Saturday morning to this scene looking out over the moonlit Pacific from Hawaii’s Big Island and had to share this with you. It’s such a beautiful sight! I wanted to share this with you.” Tom

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At last week’s event at the Music Box Theatre, WGN viewers shared farewell messages for the one and only Tom Skilling.

Chicago landmarks around the city have honored Tom Skilling in the weeks and days leading up to his retirement. From Wrigley Field to Guarantee Rate Field to the United Center to theaters, signs have lit up to honor the beloved meteorologist. To see more of how we’ve celebrated Tom’s career and retirement, visit our Celebrating […]

After 45 years at WGN, Tom Skilling deserves to take it easy! So, in honor of his retirement, the good people at Walter E. Smithe Furniture made him a custom chair! More on how we’ve celebrated his career and retirement can be found here.

Bittersweet, but well deserved!

Tom Skilling, WGN’s Chief Meteorologist and beloved weatherman of Chicago, is retiring after 45 years on the air at WGN. His celebrated career has included countless memorable moments as well as historic weather events. He’s mentored many and inspired many unique tributes. His last official day at WGN is, in true Skilling-form, eventful and surprising […]

ARCTIC AIR was back in control Wednesday and had the afternoon hours “feeling” 55-degrees colder than the comparable period yesterday when Wednesday’s stinging wind chills were factored in. The mild midnight Wed temp reading will go down on the books as the official Chicago O’Hare high of 50-degrees. Daytime readings had dropped to 20 by […]

A powerful winter storm threatens to tap today’s record warmth. Thunderstorms and severe weather are possible which will be followed by snow late Tuesday into Wednesday morning. The NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has, as of late Tuesday morning, boosted its predicted severe weather potential to a Level 3 on the agency’s 5 level risk […]

The honors keep pouring in to celebrate Tom Skilling on his retirement. From beer, to snow plows, to WGN Morning News parties, the tributes continue. And now, Skilling will have his own bobblehead, courtesy of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee. The bobbleheads cost $30 each, plus an $8 flat-rate shipping […]

CHICAGO AND MUCH OF THE CHICAGO METRO AREA IS NOW ASSESSED AT A “LEVEL 3” RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS on the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center’s 5-level risk scale. A SEVERE WEATHER WATCH may well be issued before the afternoon is out for the swath of the Chicago metro area for potential damaging winds, […]

We broke a 24 year old temp record with today’s estimated 68-deg high—and a 98 year old record set back in 1926 appears potentially in jeopardy Tuesday. These readings are May level temps—the equivalent of normal temps which occur here more than 2 months from now. A 70-deg or higher reading Tuesday would be the […]

Tom Skilling has done just about everything during his illustrious WGN career. But he had a first on Sunday morning. For the first time, at least according to Skilling, he appeared on TV in a bathrobe. But that’s because he joined Sunday morning from home via Zoom, as he prepares for the comforts of retirement. […]

CHICAGO — Get ready for some fast changing weather! A temp-plunging, wind-shifting “pneumonia front” is expected to blow into the Chicago area Friday afternoon into Friday night. First a drop in temps Winds in Chicago are to shift North/Northeast and temps are to plunge from the mild 50s to the low to mid 30s by […]

Temp rebound to challenge records Monday and fuel active t-storms Tuesday afternoon and night CLICK FOR MORE SKILLING WGN WEATHER HEADLINES FAST-CHANGING WEATHER SWEPT IN BEHIND A TEMPERATURE-PLUNGING, WIND-SHIFTING “PNEUMONIA FRONT” FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT IN CHICAGO Here’s a computer model forecast image of the jarring weather changes that headed for Chicago Friday afternoon […]

Friday’s seen the Chicago area visited by a PNEUMONIA FRONT—a southward moving front which shifts winds into the north/northeast down the length of Lake Michigan into Chicago. The north/northeast flow, with post frontal wind gusts topping 30 mph likely into Friday night, is carrying a shot of cold arctic air down the length of the […]