Myth: The Earth is farther from the sun in winter in the U.S., closer in summer. Fact: Just the opposite is true. At closest approach in early January, the Earth is 91.7 million miles from the sun; farthest in early July, at 94.8 million miles (3.1 million miles farther out than in January).
Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.