Our friend and regular photographic contributor Amanda Pickett from Winfield in northwest Indiana has sent us this Wednesday photo of that area’s spectacular fall colors. Many thanks for sharing this with us Amanda!!
Tom Skilling
Photo Courtesy: Amanda Pickett
Our meteorological colleague Richard Koeneman shares these spectacular shots taken Tuesday afternoon of the fall colors which have come to the mountains of western North Carolina near Asheville. The panoramic view of the mountains were snapped earlier in the day and show daybreak stratus diminishing in the rising sun in forested mountains ablaze with fall color. Richard tells us the region’s peak colors will arrive there in a week or two.
Tom Skilling
Photo Courtesy: Richard Koeneman
Fall colors out across northern Illinois and AT or JUST PAST peak:
Photos courtesy: David Lindgren
Frost was widespread Sunday morning and scattered across the area but less widespread Monday, on the precipice of a move into a substantially milder weather for the closing days of October, 2007. These beautiful shots, capture a morning mist rising in the chilly morning air above Willow Pond in Prospect Heights as well as widespread frost evident on grassy surfaces as well as the roof of the home pictured here. The current state of the area's striking fall colors (as of Oct. 28-29) and evidence of the region's annual geese migration is also quite evident. This area's fall colors are at or are just beyond their peak across northern Illinois into northwest Indiana. The photos come to us from Jay Kleeman who has been generous in sharing his spectacular photos of so many area weather events over the years with us. MANY thanks Jay!
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
Our trans-Atlantic friend Mark Vogan sends us these morning shots from the United Kingdom of frost last week across Scotland. Mark, an avid weather enthusiast who keeps a close eye on weather trends in the UK as well as here in the U.S., wonders if it's not possible this autumn's earlier frost arrival might offer at least a hint on the nature of the coming winter across the UK. He tells us:
“Last year there was not one morning where the temperature dropped low enough to support frost. To the best of my knowledge the earliest frost of last year was October 31st. This year we had frost as early as mid September. Typically first frosts arrive in late October across the central lowland region, earlier in the highland valleys and glens.
With year after year of very balmy winters across the UK and the early arrival of frosty mornings in 2007 on the backside of the coldest September in Scotland since 1994, could we have a considerably colder winter ahead, even if we average overall warmer-than normal? I beleive this winter may bring back some true cold and perhaps a modest snowstorm, that perhaps blankets the ground for a 5-7 day period to produce a cold week of freezing days and bitter nights. Something we haven't seen much of over recent years. Any snow that has fallen of late has melted within a couple of days, with no cold air in to take advantage of the fresh snow cover.”
An interesting observation indeed and one which is worth watching as we move more deeply into the new cold season.
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
Thanks to Mario DiLorenzo of Bartlett and Michael Leung of Chicago for sharing their pictures of tonight's beautiful sunset.
BUCKTOWN SUNSET
Photo by Michael Leung
BARTLETT SUNSET
Photo by Mario DiLorenzo
Here are just a few of many great photos we've received of Thursday's storm. Thanks to everyone who sent photos in!
—WGN-TV Weather Center
Thursday's storms as viewed at 5:30 p.m. from western suburban Oswego
Photo courtesy: Jeri Jahnke, Oswego, Illinois
Thursday’s storms as viewed from the Fox Valley
Photo courtesy: Matthew Liechota, Batavia, Illinois
Thursday's late day thunderstorms as viewed from a distance from DeKalb County
Photo courtesy: David Lindgren, Shabbona, Illinois
Michael Foradas, who snapped this photo of Thursday's violent evening storm from the 60th floor of the AON Center, says hail crashed intensely into the windows just minutes after this photo was taken! With winds unimpeded by frictional drag at such heights, the hail was able to hit with particular force.
An e-mail from another Chicagoan, Bill Kijek, who was caught around 5:30 p.m. in yesterday's storm while walking near Clark and Adams, indicates he saw what he thought was white smoke approaching. It turned out to be the rain and hail shaft (which you see on the time lapse of the storm from one of our WGN Hancock cameras) and the approaching downburst, which ended up generating 60 m.p.h. gusts in the Loop. Bill reports it rained for five minutes at the height of the storm harder than he's ever seen it rain before, and that the winds sound like, as he put it, "...the proverbial freight train, then it was gone." Bill's description is that of a downburst. Thanks to all of our readers and viewers for sharing their extraordinary pictures and accounts with us!
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
A view from the north of the developing storms taken at Waukegan Airport was sent to us by pilot Anson Mount.
Photo by Anson Mount
Storm photos taken by WGN Weather Center intern Meredith Garofalo while storm chasing
Thursday evening.
Photo by Meredith Garofalo
Thanks to Chuck Hagen of Oak Lawn who captured this evening's thunderstorm activity for us while driving through the Monee area.
Photo by Chuck Hagen
Photo by Chuck Hagen
THUNDERSTORM OVER THE LOOP
Thanks to Sven Svede and Tiffany Dunlevy for capturing these spectacular pictures of severe thunderstorm activity that raced through the city and southern suburbs earlier this evening.
Photo by Tiffany Dunlevy
DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS VISIBLE FROM SCHAUMBURG
Photo by Sven Svede
These beautiful orange and yellow hues preceded Monday’s sunrise captured in these photos near Hobart, Indiana by Amanda Pickett, who’s always beautiful work has graced our weather blog in the past. Thanks Amada and Jim for sharing these beautiful shots with us!
-Tom Skilling
Photos courtesy: Amanda, Pickett
WGN-Weather Center intern Meredith Garofalo took this picture at Jacobs Field, home of the 2007 AL Central Division Champs during the first round of playoffs. Weather was not a normal fall day as partly cloudy skies prevailed with temps in the upper 80's.
Thanks Meredith!
Photo courtesy: Meredith Garofalo
