Tom Skilling's—and Brian Smith's—Tornado Seminar Is Saturday at Fermilab

As I've said many times, is a bit of a rock star in the weather world.

The GHS grad and Geneva native started a little thing now called the back in 1981 with a guy named Skilling.

Tom Skilling, that is. In weather circles, that's like saying, "Bond. James Bond."

That 1981 seminar was at Geneva High School, and about 40 people showed up. Smith, who is now a warning coordination meteorologist for the Omaha National Weather Service, met Skilling at a 1979 conference on severe storms in Kansas City when they came up with the idea for a program.

“It was just me and Tom onstage using slides and movie film,” Smith said of the first program. “Never in our wildest dreams ... did we expect this.”

Now the weather seminar packs the house at Fermilab each spring, sold out for two shows—one at noon and one at 6 p.m.

Get there early Saturday if you want a seat.

Skilling said the more time that passes after a tornado outbreak, people tend to “put it in the back of their heads."

“This is an opportunity where we can bring it front and center in people’s minds,” he said. 

Tornadoes, severe storms, safety rules—everything you want to know about weather and then some will be presented Saturday, April 14, at the 32nd annual Tornado and Severe Storm Seminar hosted by the WGN-TV meteorologist at Fermilab’s Ramsey Auditorium.

Admission is free and seating is first come, first served.

When traveling to the lab, use the Pine Street entrance off of Kirk Road.

For more information, go to www.asktom.org.

Download the movie