Dear Tom,
Isn’t it true the reason for all this severe weather is that the Earth is trying to bring back balance to the environment?
Robby Vaughn, Mount Prospect
Dear Robby,
All weather systems, not just severe events, result from temperature differences in the atmosphere. Weather systems redistribute the atmosphere’s heat energy and the atmosphere is always more thermally balanced in their aftermath.
A thunderstorm, for example, lifts warm air from the bottom of the atmosphere upward several miles into colder levels. Hurricanes transport tropical heat into the cooler mid latitudes. We now understand that hurricanes run in alternating 30-40 year active and quiet phases driven by cycles of warm and cool ocean temperatures. We’re now in an active phase and increased hurricane activity is to be expected.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
