Episode Details

Illinois has experienced no shortage of weather headlines this year. Check out this week's Good Growing Podcast as we talk with Illinois State Climatologist Dr. Trent Ford about a year of tornadoes, heavy rainfall, record hail, and sticky summer weather. Learn what fueled these weather events, why El Niño is making headlines, and what may be in store for us this fall and winter.

Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7UM5oYiCkS4

Skip to what you want to know:  

  01:18 – Welcome, Trent! Recap of summer 2026 weather.

  07:31 – Why were there so many tornadoes this year in Illinois?

  12:15 – Why is there a bubble around Jacksonville (or other cities) that keeps the rain away?

  14:59 – Does corn sweat keep the temperature slightly cooler than it could if there were less humidity? 

  20:37 – What do we have to look forward to this fall weather-wise?

  26:36 – What is El Niño?

  32:08 – Will the El Niño this year be like The Day After Tomorrow (weather chaos)?

  43:44 – Will we still be at risk of having a polar vortex? Are they somehow linked to El Niño?

  50:57 – Do we see more sudden stratospheric warming events with climate change?

  55:03 – Does our climate and weather lag behind the CO2 effects in the atmosphere? 

  59:06 – 3d printing of state record hailstone

  1:02:21 – Wrap-up, what’s up next week, and goodbye!

Illinois State Climatologist website

Contact us! 

Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu

Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu

Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

Barnyard Bash: freesfx.co.uk

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Castbox - https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us