From deadly wildfires in California to deadly floods in central Texas to severe weather and an early winter in central Illinois… we reviewed 2025's biggest weather stories.

The researchers who are investigating that link say tornado season is getting longer. To talk about what this means for Illinois in the future, The 21st was joined by a meteorologist and a professor who's been researching this subject.

Deadly tornadoes took aim at several Illinois communities on Friday night. We talked about the sights on the ground and possible severe weather on Tuesday.

A string of natural disasters has hit the central U.S. in recent weeks. Tornadoes have devastated communities, tearing up trees and homes. Record rainfall has prevented countless farmers in America's breadbasket from planting crops. Rising rivers continue to flood fields, inundate homes and threaten aging levees from Iowa to Mississippi. And while none of these events can be directly attributed to climate change, extreme rains are happening more frequently in many parts of the U.S. and that trend is expected to continue as the Earth continues to warm.

A devastating series of storms late Wednesday spawned multiple tornadoes that caused extensive damage to several buildings and led to at least three deaths in Missouri.