Famous forecaster: How Tom Skilling’s popularity went through the stratosphere

On one of his last remaining nights as the chief meteorologist at WGN-TV, Tom Skilling took part of his dinner break to make a surprise appearance at Waveland Bowl. It was a great metaphor for a TV icon whose willingness to veer outside of his “lane” led to his enormous popularity.

“Believe me, if you see the way I bowl,” he said. “I ought to stay in my lane and out of the lanes here.”

Skilling said he was never motivated by fame.

“You know what? To tell you the truth,” he said, “I’m kind of amused by it all.”

He started working at WGN in in 1978 and by the mid-1990s, he was firmly established as Chicago’s favorite weatherman, dubbed “Mr. Popularity” by the Chicago Tribune.

“In Chicago, he is a legendary weatherman,” said Rick Morris, associate dean and professor in Northwestern University’s School of Communication.

Our hero’s origin story: Tom Skilling’s curiosity, love of weather began in childhood

With WGN as a superstation, seen around the country via cable and satellite, Skilling became a household name from Maine to California. His consistently accurate forecasts and fascinating explanatory science reports earned him a legendary status in the broadcasting industry. He was reportedly the highest paid, the most trusted, and the most watched local meteorologist in America.

“I know this for a fact, during the nine o’clock segment of his news when he comes on, whether you’ve got great ratings here, when Tom comes on, they go straight up because he is the most trusted,” said David Plier, chairman of the board of the Museum of Broadcast Communication.

VOTE: Tom Skilling’s most memorable moments

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when or how Skilling’s fame shot through the stratosphere, but somewhere on the road from scientist to star, he became a pop culture figure, seen on murals and menus.

Maybe it started with popular Chicago radio DJ Steve Dahl, who parodied Skilling as “Tommy Skillet-Head,” bringing awareness of Skilling to a rock ‘n’ roll audience, who discovered him and then became his loyal viewers.

Skilling appeared with both Dennis Miller and Rachel Ray to promote their new programs which would be seen on WGN.

He avoided any whiff of controversy and gained a loyal following simply by being his folksy, friendly self, on — and off — the air.

“The Tom Skilling you see on the air is Tom Skilling,” said Steve Novak, a long-time WGN producer and director.

But the well-known sunny personality gave him a perfect platform ‘play against type’ in memorable Morning News appearances with Pat Tomasulao, giving Skilling the chance to utter a phrase now etched in Chicago lore: “I’m Tom Freaking Skilling, I could have you killed.”

Best of Skilling: Tom ‘freaking’ Skilling

He was never too important to laugh at himself – even doing the weather in costume. With a gift for entertainment, he was tapped to be a consultant and credited with a small role in the 2005 Nicholas Cage film, “The Weatherman,” which was filmed at WGN’s Chicago studios.

At the time Cage told WGN’s Dean Richards that Skilling has “a wholesome charisma about him.”

Skilling remembered Gore Verbinski, the film’s director touring the TV station and asking, “How would you like to be a consultant on this movie? And I thought, ‘great,’” Skilling said. “It was an interesting chance to see how careful they are trying to reproduce a real-life weather center. I was amazed at the work they put into it. It was a lot of fun.”

Skilling has appeared in a few other films. His voice is on in the background of the 1983 film “Class” when actors Andrew McCarthy and Rob Lowe are talking in their dorm room. In the 1987 John Hughes classic “Planes Trains and Automobiles,” Skillings voice delivers a forecast. In 2009’s “Couples Retreat,” the WGN news is on in the background as Skilling is doing a weather report.

“They used a clip of our weather show on the ‘Couples’ movie. So, I get these little residuals and all,” Skilling said. “I feel like a real Hollywood movie star, you know when you get these checks from Paramount. I think it’s for like $12 or something like that. So, you know, I won’t be buying any islands anywhere with it.”

“Because he’s on TV every day, it’s like he’s just this constant in the lives of Chicagoans,” said Chris Witaske, a Second City alum who made Skilling a recurring character in his Netflix show “Chicago Party Aunt.” “Tom is like a full-blown celebrity in the City of Chicago,” Witaske said. “So, when Netflix bought our show, we knew we had to include Tom.”

Tom Skilling’s career mirrors evolution of television meteorology

It’s to the point where any production that wants to set itself in authentic Chicago mentions his name … it happened on Showtime’s “Shameless” and FX’s “The Bear.”

“Isn’t that amazing? You know, I never realized I was so connected with the city of Chicago.” Skilling said. “Nobody’s more surprised by these things than I am. Often, I’m the last one to hear about it. But somebody will call and say, ‘Hey we were watching ‘The Bear’ last night, and they mentioned you on it. And I thought ‘How about that?’ You know, who’d have thunk?”

In a documentary about the legendary fog bowl game between the Bears and Eagles at Soldier Field in 1988, NFL films asked Skilling to explain the science behind the strange weather. He was even name-dropped in the Serengeti rap song, “Dennehy:” “Favorite show Danza, also the news/weatherman Skilling, music the Blues.”

The Andersonville t-shirt shop Raygun has a line of top selling, Tom Skilling shirts.

“The Tom Skilling shirts were one that customers came in and requested several times. And eventually we were like, ‘Ok they want to see it.’ So we printed it and it’s taken off,” said Alyx Rice, the store’s manager.

From shirts to Snuggies – fans wanted to wear Skilling gear.

“One day someone from creative services came in a couple years ago and said there’s a company that wants to put your face on a Snuggie. And my first though was ‘Who would want to buy a piece of clothing with my image on it,” Skilling said.

It turns out, a legion of Cubs fans did, led by play-by-play announcer Len Kasper, who — on a chilly night addressed the crowd, “On this winter night in April, all hail the Tom Skilling Snuggie. Who’s with me?”

“I was amazed, but people would write to me and include pictures of them being bundled up and they said it was great, it kept them warm,” Skilling said. “So, I think I was as happy about being on a piece of clothing that helped people stay comfortable in bad weather as I was my face being on something. It was an amazing development.”

There’s a ‘Tom Freaking Skilling beer’ made by Hop Butcher for the World. At Publican Quality Meats, there’s a turkey sandwich with his Skilling’s face on a toothpick, and the former Evanston restaurant Boltwood had a rum cocktail named “The Tom Skilling.”

Local brewery releases ‘Tom Freaking Skilling’ beer in honor of beloved WGN meteorologist

Skilling’s name adorns the menu at the longest running diner in the world, Frank’s in Kenosha Wisconsin.

“On our menu we list all of the celebrities who have been here, the ones of note anyway and of course, tom skilling has a prominent spot on that menu,” said Kevin Ervin, the owner of Frank’s Diner.

“It’s pretty wild,” Skilling said. “I’ll tell you that, and certainly nothing you anticipated would ever happen.”

His voice moved the markets at the Chicago Board of Trade, where his forecasts brought ‘grain trading to a halt each day,’ as traders monitored his forecast and what effect it might have on grain production in the Midwest, according to an AP news headline.

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation named a snowplow “Skilling It.”

Tom Skilling helps unveil ‘Skilling It’ snowplow

The international astronomical union’s minor planet center named asteroid 91888 “Tom Skilling.”

No less a Chicago icon than comedian Bill Murray joked that when Skilling retires, the weather itself should retire too.

“I don’t think we’re going to have weather anymore,” Murray said. “[Without Skilling] There’s no reason to look out the window.”

His retirement even made the front pages of both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Back at Waveland bowl, Skilling is signing autographs, and posing for pictures.

More coverage on Tom Skilling’s career and retirement at our Celebrating Skilling section

He’s also playing out the final frames of a near perfect career, recalling what he told his mom once about his enormous fame.

“People would come over and say, ‘Oh you’re Tom Skilling.’ My mother said to me one day, ‘People know you,’ and I said, ‘Mom, it’s a testament to the fact when you put an ugly face like this on a powerful mass medium for four decades, somebody at some point is going to say, ‘Oh I’ve seen that face before.’’

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