It's always a lot of fun spending some time with colleagues at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in southwest suburban Romeoville. That's just what I was able to do Tuesday. Joining us for a taping session as we prepare an upcoming report to air on our WGN News programs and which we'll be telling you about in the weeks ahead was Meteorologist In Charge Ed Fenelon, Warning Coordination Meteorologist Jim Allsopp and Lead Forecaster Gino Izzi. A major upgrade to the Weather Service's Doppler Radar which will dramatically improve the radar's ability to track storms across the area and more accurately calculate precipitation form and rainfall as well as a desire to upgrade our viewers on the severe weather warning system was behind our Romeoville office visit.
Joining us was Meteorologist in Charge Ed Fenelon, who briefed us on the revolutionary upgrade which is to be installed initially in just five National Weather Service Forecast Offices--then across the entire NWS Doppler network (the installation is to take place next September here in Chicago). Also with us was Jim Allsopp who explained the critical importance of the thousands of spotters who volunteer and scan area skies during stormy periods and Gino Izzi, who's joined us at our Fermilab program with excellent presentations in recent years on recent severe weather outbreak and was on hand during our Tuesday visit to walk us through the devastating August 4 derecho which hit with 90 mph wind gusts and several tornadoes last summer. The fast moving squall line forced baseball fans to flee into
Wrigley Field's lowest level to escape blinding rains for first time. We were also joined Phil Rittenhaus who told us about the amazing contribution amateur radio operators makes to the severe weather system and by longtime friend Roger Benuchi from Plainfield Emergency Services.
Plainfield, of course, was the site of the immediate Chicago area's most recent devastating tornado which hit the southwest suburban community with deadly force the afternoon of August 28, 1990. Joining me on today's shoot were my WGN colleagues producer Pam Grimes, who took the photos you see here and producing the upcoming piece, and ace WGN videographer Steve Scheuer.
Thanks to Ed, Gino and Jim and their colleagues at the NWS-Chicago for making us feel so welcome!
Tom Skilling
Joining us was Meteorologist in Charge Ed Fenelon, who briefed us on the revolutionary upgrade which is to be installed initially in just five National Weather Service Forecast Offices--then across the entire NWS Doppler network (the installation is to take place next September here in Chicago). Also with us was Jim Allsopp who explained the critical importance of the thousands of spotters who volunteer and scan area skies during stormy periods and Gino Izzi, who's joined us at our Fermilab program with excellent presentations in recent years on recent severe weather outbreak and was on hand during our Tuesday visit to walk us through the devastating August 4 derecho which hit with 90 mph wind gusts and several tornadoes last summer. The fast moving squall line forced baseball fans to flee into
Wrigley Field's lowest level to escape blinding rains for first time. We were also joined Phil Rittenhaus who told us about the amazing contribution amateur radio operators makes to the severe weather system and by longtime friend Roger Benuchi from Plainfield Emergency Services.
Plainfield, of course, was the site of the immediate Chicago area's most recent devastating tornado which hit the southwest suburban community with deadly force the afternoon of August 28, 1990. Joining me on today's shoot were my WGN colleagues producer Pam Grimes, who took the photos you see here and producing the upcoming piece, and ace WGN videographer Steve Scheuer.
Thanks to Ed, Gino and Jim and their colleagues at the NWS-Chicago for making us feel so welcome!
Tom Skilling
