Tom Skilling facts for kids

Thomas Ethelbert Skilling III (born February 20, 1952) is a former American television meteorologist. A meteorologist is a scientist who studies the Earth's atmosphere and predicts the weather. From 1978 until he retired in 2024, Tom Skilling worked at WGN-TV in Chicago. He was known for his detailed and accurate weather forecasts.

Tom Skilling's Career Journey

Starting Out in Weather

Tom Skilling was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of four children. His family later moved to Aurora, Illinois. Tom went to West Aurora High School there.

He began his career in broadcasting very young, at just 14 years old. He worked for local radio stations WKKD and WKKD-FM. Tom noticed that the weather forecasts on WKKD were for Chicago, not for Aurora. He offered to make his own forecasts for Aurora. He said if his predictions were right, they should hire him. His forecasts were accurate, so he got the job! He then forecasted Aurora's weather three times a day. At age 18, he started working at WLXT-TV in Aurora.

Skilling then went to the University of Wisconsin to study meteorology and journalism. While in college, he worked at WKOW-TV and WTSO radio in Madison. In 1975, Tom got his first big TV job. He became the main weather forecaster at WITI-TV in Milwaukee. There, he even had a fun helper: a sock puppet named Albert the Alley Cat!

Working at WGN-TV

Tom Skilling returned to the Chicago area in 1978. He joined WGN-TV on August 13, 1978. He became WGN-TV's chief meteorologist. Many people believed he was the highest-paid local TV meteorologist in the United States. He also used to write a daily weather column for the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

His weather reports always used the newest technology. He used computer images and animation to show the weather. People praised him for his detailed reports and amazing accuracy. A great example of this was in 2011. He correctly predicted a huge snowstorm, the Groundhog Day blizzard, almost two weeks before it hit Chicago. This storm caused a lot of problems in the area.

Tom Skilling was even asked for advice for the movie The Weather Man. This movie was set in Chicago. He also narrated two documentaries for WGN-TV. These were It Sounded Like a Freight Train and When Lightning Strikes. They taught people about tornadoes and lightning.

On October 12, 2023, Skilling announced he would retire from WGN-TV. His last day was February 28, 2024. On February 1, 2024, WGN announced a special honor. They renamed their weather center the Tom Skilling Weather Center.

Working with Weather Experts

Tom Skilling is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. These are groups for weather professionals. He also hosted yearly tornado and severe weather seminars. These events took place at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois. In 2013, for the 32nd year of the seminar, they talked about climate change for the first time. In 2018, he stopped hosting these seminars due to his busy schedule.

Awards and Special Recognitions

In January 1995, Tom Skilling received a special honor. He got an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. This is like getting a special degree without having to study for it.

An Asteroid was named after him! Asteroid 91888 Tomskilling was found in 1999. It was named in his honor. This was officially announced on October 8, 2014. On November 1, 2023, a statement honoring his career was read into the Congressional record. This means his work was officially recognized by the U.S. Congress.

On May 2, 2024, Tom Skilling was announced as the Grand Marshall of the 2024 Woodstock (IL) Pridefest parade.

Tom Skilling's Family Life

Tom is the older brother of Jeffrey Skilling. Jeffrey Skilling is a well-known businessman.