Dear Tom,
Have any hurricanes struck the U.S. mainland after Chicago’s first freeze? Do cold fronts passing Chicago impact U.S. hurricanes?
Kriss Geyser, Chicago
Dear Kriss,
Atlantic tropical cyclones are not uncommon in October, especially in the Caribbean and Gulf. Powerful hurricanes can roam the tropics into November, while named tropical storms have hit the U.S. after Chicago’s frost every other year recently. However, hurricanes striking the U.S. mainland are rare by that time (Chicago’s average freeze date: Oct. 11). The most recent hurricane landfall occurred Oct. 16, 1989, when category one Jerry hit Galveston, Texas. (Chicago had experienced freezes on Oct. 4 and 9.) You are correct about cold fronts pushing through Chicago. After mid-October, fronts in the Southeast tend to deflect hurricanes away from the United States–either south into the Gulf or northeast into the open Atlantic.
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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.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Dennis Haller plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
