Dear Tom,
I remember a whopper of a storm hitting the northwest part of Chicago in March of 1976. Was that storm classified as a tornado?
Bill Field Westchester, Ill.
Dear Bill,
The storm that you are referring to was an F2 (113-157 m.p.h.) tornado that carved a 17 mile long path of destruction across the Chicago area from Northlake to Wilmette. The tornado, which killed two and injured 66, hit hard on Chicago’s northwest side including the area around O’Hare Airport. This twister made national headlines as it struck within a quarter mile of then President Gerald Ford’s motorcade, who was in town campaigning for the upcoming presidential election. A few days later the President was back in town to assess the damage and declared the area a federal disaster area. This storm was the last significant tornado to touchdown within the Chicago city limits.
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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.
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