Dear Tom,
What is the fastest forward speed recorded for a hurricane?
Ross Patronsky, Chicago
Dear Ross,
The National Hurricane Center does not maintain “speed records” for tropical cyclones, but they move fastest only when they venture far enough north to interact with mid-latitude jet streams.
Among landfalling hurricanes, the fastest mover since reliable records began in the early 1900s is the catastrophic Great New England Hurricane of Sept. 21-22, 1938. That storm, roaring at one point at a phenomenal forward speed of 70 m.p.h., blasted across central Long Island on a heading due north.
Its forward speed enhanced wind speeds to the right of the eye, boosting gusts nearly to 150 m.p.h. at the time of landfall. The storm traveled from Cape Hatteras, N.C., to Montreal, Canada, in one day.
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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 Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
