Editorial: Say it ain’t so, Tom Skilling

The singular popularity of Tom Skilling, WGN-TV’s chief meteorologist for 45 years and long also a fixture on this newspaper’s weather page, has been discussed in our newsroom for years.

There have been many theories. Did it flow from his genuine meteorological expertise in a field where many come and go and just read from scripts? Was it a consequence of his weird love of big weather events, even as most of us desperately try to stay away from them? What role did his benign goofiness play? His joy in answering questions from his fans?

All of the above, for sure. But we’ll add his journalistic integrity to that list, including a willingness to note the impact of climate change, when his forecasting showed it was merited.

Whatever changes happen in the fields of newspapers and television, the trusted, friendly expert whose words you’ve read, or whose face you have seen, for decades remains a media company’s core asset.

People are upset that Skilling announced his retirement Thursday because they worry they will see less of a friend.

We wish Tom fair winds and following seas and note that his decision to exit at the end of February is very apropos of the man we know.

He gets to describe another Chicago winter and help us to the other side.

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