Dear Mr. Skilling,
Is it true that a tornado is always preceded by hail?
Charles Storey
Dear Charles,
It is not true. Only the wind fields within and in the envi-ronment several miles around a severe thunderstorm provide reliable clues as to the storm’s tornado-producing capabilities.
Those tell-tale signs are rarely visually apparent to an observer, and only Doppler radars can detect them.
Severe storms forecaster Roger Edwards of the Storm Prediction Center says, “Does hail always come before a tornado? Rain? Lightning? Utter silence? High winds? Not necessarily for any of those. Hail can indicate the presence of an unusually dangerous thunderstorm, but it is not a reliable predictor of tornado threat.”
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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.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
