[1] The Great Lakes region has experienced the remnants of several hurricanes, most commonly those which originally made U.S. landfall along the Gulf of Mexico.

[2][4] Although the center of the storm was tracked over Chicago and other highly populated areas, no other inland region reported similar damage.

[5] Despite not having hurricane-force winds, Hurricane Connie of 1955 is also notable as it is one of very few storms to make a tropical landfall in the Great Lakes as well.

On September 11, 1996, a weak low-pressure area was situated close to Lake Superior,[6] as well as a shortwave trough over Ontario.

[6] The cyclone's overall strength increased dramatically while meandering over the Great Lakes, with surface sustained winds building from 11 to 67 mph (18 to 108 km/h).

This caused the mid-level portion of the cyclone to move eastward, centering itself just east of Lake Huron.

After 00:00 UTC on September 14, the lower-level and mid-level circulations of the cyclone moved westward, becoming vertically stacked again.

At the time of its peak intensity, the cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 73 miles per hour (117 km/h), equivalent to that of a high-end tropical storm, and on the threshold of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale (SSHWS).

Soon afterward, prevailing winds in the area shifted to the east-northeast and rapidly increased, shearing the system, causing it to weaken.

On September 15, the cyclone weakened into a remnant low and left Lake Huron, before dissipating soon afterward.

This caused flooding in both the United States around Buffalo, New York and on the eastern shore of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada.