Trent Ford
a white man with with a beard in a red hat, gray T-short, and dark shorts; he is standing on the broken pieces of a black-and-white checkered floor amid the debris of a building, including pieces of wood, bits of insulation, and piles of twisted corrugated metal; the trunk and a few freshly stripped limbs of a tree are in the background
Abigail Bottar/IPM News

What’s behind Illinois’ record year for tornadoes?

It’s been a wild couple weeks for severe weather in Illinois. We’ll talk with reporters who’ve covered the aftermath of storms in Effingham and Charleston. We’ll also hear from an organization that’s been scrambling to place dozens of dogs and cats with foster homes after a tornado tore the roof off an animal shelter in Springfield.

Then, the bigger picture with a group of climate scientists. Illinois has had a record number of tornadoes this year, and the figure is still growing. They'll talk about what's behind that, and whether it's our new normal.
 

while clouds cover most (but not all) of the sky, the sun shines on parts of a gently sloping hillside covered with trees whose leaves are red, orange, yellow and green
Holly Ramer/AP

‘Weather Realness’ podcast on autumn leaves

Today we’re talking about the weather, with a pair of conversations from “Weather Realness,” a sister podcast produced by Illinois Public Media.

Trees across Illinois are turning yellow, orange, red, and other vibrant colors. We’ll talk about why that happens, and hear about the coming fall frost.

the leaf on a cornstalk is shown turning brown and dr from drought; inset: a map showing which parts of Illinois are affected by drought — it's red over Champaign and nearb counties, orange over much of central Illinois, and tan and yellow elsewhere)
Corn: Joshua A. Bickel/AP / Map: U.S. Drought Monitor

‘Weather Realness’ podcast on severe drought afflicting Illinois

Today we’re talking about the weather, with a pair of conversations from “Weather Realness,” a sister podcast produced by Illinois Public Media.

Much of central Illinois is under severe or extreme drought.  We’ll hear from the Illinois State Climatologist about how little rain we've gotten, why that’s happening, and why it’s such a concern, for everyone from farmers to firefighters.

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