The definition of eye candy is a visual image that is superficially attractive and entertaining, but intellectually undemanding, (in other words, easy to understand) . Almost everyday I look at weather charts that are, for a lack of a better term, "exciting" in the type of weather they depict. However, I (or anybody worth their salt) won't put them up because the chances of verification is so low. It's hard enough to get it right 3 days out, let alone 2 weeks or a month la

We rang in the new year Thursday with a cold but quiet day (perfect for watching football). Outside the far south, where some low stratus prevailed, the rest of the region enjoyed periods of sunshine. With winds generally 10mph or less, it's fair to say we got 2026 off to a promising start. You've probably heard the old proverb from Aesop's fable that slow and steady wins the race. So, just like the tortoise, we're going to let our weather plod slowly forward with the hope th

Happy New Year, everybody! Thanks for making TSwails your home for weather information. Here's hoping 2026 brings plenty of interesting and exciting weather. Meteorologist Nick Stewart and I are committed to bringing you reliable, insightful, forecasts that you can trust without the hype. We take great pride in doing weather right! Headed into January, the coldest month of the year, most of my local area has no snow on the ground, maybe a skiff in spots. That belies the fact

So here it is, the last day of December, and what a strange month it's been. Temperatures alone have been all over the board, with 2 morning lows of 8 below and 2 days with highs of 50. Typically, the month gets colder as it progresses. Not this year, with the first half of December averaging 13.6 degrees below normal. Then came the big flip and the second half of the month averaged 7.9 degrees above normal. Manic to say the least. Here's the actual breakdown of the individua

A powerful winter storm steam rolled the Midwest Sunday and Monday with a wide variety of weather ranging from blizzard conditions to tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. The National Weather Service reported over 1,000 storm reports including snow, straight line winds, and even a few tornadoes in EC Illinois Sunday through Monday morning. While my counties in SE Iowa and WC Illinois did experience thunderstorms, wind, and some snow showers, the worst of the stronger storms an