Dear Tom,
Which wind direction brings Chicago its highest temperatures in the summer?
— Paul Sarewich, Chicago
Dear Paul,
Southwest winds (southwest-to-northeast-blowing winds) bring Chicago its highest temperatures.
The southern Great Plains — the area from Kansas across Oklahoma into central Texas — routinely experiences the nation’s highest non-desert temperatures in the summer. Chicago sits to the northeast of that area, and so it takes southwesterly winds to transport hot air from that region to the city. But Chicago’s highest summer temperatures can occur only when southwest winds overcome the cooling effect of Lake Michigan. That usually happens when high pressure is centered over the southeastern U.S. and a stationary or slowly moving cold front stretches from the Dakotas to Lake Superior.
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