Hurricane and Tropical Storm Remnants Impact the Midwest, Too

When hurricanes form, all eyes are on the places where they make landfall—for obvious reasons. But their effects can extend hundreds of miles inland.

Case in point: Remnants of dozens of hurricanes and tropical storms have swept through the Midwest. Had Hurricane Melissa taken a more westerly route last week, it could have brought the region both damage and much-needed rain.

“We really don’t think about them as an important part of the Midwest climate,” Trent Ford, the Illinois state climatologist, said of hurricanes. “Although they’re not the major driver of our fall precipitation, they still can play a huge role.”

Often originating in the Gulf of Mexico, hurricane or tropical storm remnants that sweep through the Midwest are relatively rare, but they can have a big effect on the Missi