Next Kaler Science Lecture Explores Tornadoes

The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College is hosting a talk about extreme weather.

Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard will present "Chasing Tornadoes: It's Not What You Think!" for the James Kaler Science Lecture Series on Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. Admission is $2, and Friends of the Staerkel Planetarium are admitted for free. Tickets may now be purchased in advance at tickets.parkland.edu.

Pritchard offers information about tornado formation and why North America has better conditions for this phenomenon than most other locations on Earth. He also gives tips for people to stay safe when severe weather occurs. Finally, he discusses his firsthand experiences following storms and shares videos of recent tornadoes.

Pritchard is a graduate of Parkland College and earned a B.S. in Meteorology at Northern Illinois University. He operates Chambana Weather, which provides daily weather forecasts of east central Illinois for local media such as WILL. He studies the effects of weather around the globe on production agriculture for Nutrien Ag Solutions.

After the presentation, the Staerkel Planetarium will play the fulldome feature, "Totality!", at 8 p.m. This is the last weekend the planetarium plays the program before a total solar eclipse appears over North America on April 8. The planetarium is offering its final showing of a fulldome video set to the Pink Floyd album, "The Dark Side of the Moon," at 9 p.m.

Tickets for regular programs range from $7 to $8 per person. Light shows are $12 per person. Please visit parkland.edu/planetarium for the show schedule or call 217/351-2568 for information about booking the dome.