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Tag: Severe Weather
The April 9 tornado near Franklin Grove, Ill. Photo courtesy Walker Ashley, NIU Department of Geography
All DeKalb-area residents can remember the violent and deadly tornado that tore through Rochelle and Fairdale last April, leveling houses and trees in its path. At the next STEM Café, “Tornado Tracking: How Meteorologists Predict and Pursue Storms,” NIU associate professor Walker Ashley will tell the story of how he forecast and chased the tornado....
Each year, Illinois gets hit with more than 60 tornadoes, on average, and ranks in the Top 10 for the most tornadoes of any state in the nation. The odds of one or more tornadoes hitting a portion of DeKalb County is at least one in three every year. Our area also encounters 60 mph...
Photo of a plug in a wall outlet
Friday’s windy weather conditions have resulted in intermittent power surges at NIU’s main campus in DeKalb and other communities in the region. The NIU campus is operating normally. The power surges have also caused several severe weather sirens in DeKalb to be activated. Local police say the activation of the severe weather sirens was a result of the power...
An early shot of the tornado near Franklin Grove, Ill. Photo courtesy Walker Ashley, NIU Deparment of Geography
On the early evening of April 9, 2015, a large, violent tornado moved across portions of Lee, Ogle, DeKalb and McHenry counties, with winds as high as 195 mph. DeKalb County’s small community of Fairdale sustained a direct hit from the twister, which killed two and injured dozens of others. Unfortunately, the odds of some...
Campus snowball fun – Winter 2013
Although today’s weather does not necessitate a closure of campus, the combinations of temperature, rain/sleet and the ground temperature are making for icy conditions on the sidewalks and roads around campus. The Grounds and Building Services staff are using all the available equipment to provide salt and keep the campus paths of travel as safe...
Photo of a tornado
When severe weather strikes, nothing beats an eye on the storm. “Despite all the technology that we have, radar can’t tell if there is a tornado, or what size hail is falling, or if there is flooding,” said Gilbert Sebenste, NIU staff meteorologist. “Having a weather spotter report these things – in real time – can save...
Campus snowball fun – Winter 2013
Last year’s polar vortex caused some of the most severe winter weather Illinois has seen in the past 50 years, and the recent cold snap has everyone wondering what this winter will bring. Is the polar vortex part of global warming or proof that it doesn’t exist? STEM Café invites you to find out at...
Sarah Stuebing
From hurricanes to earthquakes to mud slides to floods to tornadoes to wildfires, one of the media images in the wake of a weather tragedy seems common to every disaster: rows of cots and sleeping bags in high school gymnasiums or other community centers where displaced families have taken shelter. Expressions of heartbreak and fear...
Photo of a storm watcher
For storm chasers, the coming of spring means one thing: tornadoes. Recent tornado-related disasters have led experts to wonder how climate change is affecting the frequency and intensity of these destructive storms. At the next STEM Café, NIU STEM Outreach will present “Chasing the Storm: Tornadoes in a Warming World.” This free presentation and discussion...
From left: Kyle Ullmark (EM specialist of the NIU Deptarment of Police and Public Safety) and NWS Chicago Lead Forecaster Matt Friedlein join NIU Staff Meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste.
Northern Illinois University has been re-certified at a very important level of readiness in protecting students, faculty and staff from severe weather. StormReady locations, including universities, are better prepared to take the right actions to save lives when severe weather strikes. This preparedness comes about through better planning, education and awareness of weather hazards. The requirements to become and maintain StormReady...
Photo of a tornado
As the severe weather season approaches, NIU Weather and the NIU American Meteorological Society are offering the opportunity to become a trained weather spotter. The weather spotters training will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, in the Cole Hall Auditorium. This event is free, open to the public and does not require pre-registration...