The devastation caused by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene may be a wake-up call that shifting weather patterns caused by climate change could become a concern for places like Chicago.

The big picture: In the Midwest, climatologists and municipalities have grappled with tornadoes, heavy rain and even fires. But now, should they be concerned about shifting weather patterns bringing hurricanes up north?

Reality check: Yes and no.

What they're saying: "There are a lot of different types of extreme weather events," meteorologist Rick DiMaio tells Axios. "Hurricanes and tropical storms can move up into the Chicagoland area. We haven't seen a lot of those in the past, but I think you will definitely see more of them in the future."

Zoom in: Hurricanes feature heavy rain, flash flooding, tornadoes and gusts, which are similar to some of the weather events that rocked the Midwest this summer.

Yes, but: In Chicago, storms mostly move through quickly. Hurricanes and other tropical storms move much more slowly.

Flashback: Powerful hurricanes have already hit the Chicago area. In 2008, Hurricane Ike dropped 12 inches of rain in Northwest Indiana, causing massive flooding.

• "Tropical weather systems can produce winds up to 130 miles per hour," says DiMaio. "We used to think we'd never get there, but in 2020 we had a derecho come through with winds hitting close to 100 mph."

The latest: First responders from several Chicago suburbs have deployed to Florida, while many have just returned from North Carolina after helping with cleanup efforts there.

The intrigue: Illinois can only prepare for so much weather. With resources already tight, Chicago has invested some cash into cleanup programs and has looked to the state and federal government to pitch in on recent storms.

• Over several decades, the city invested $3 billion for the infamous "Deep Tunnel" flood reservoir designed to mitigate local flooding. Some are concerned that it is already out of date due to climate change.

The bottom line: Climate change is supercharging weather patterns, even moving them into areas that never experienced them before, forcing municipalities to find the resources to cope.

Go deeper

Chicago and suburban residents are no strangers to flooding but they're often not financially prepared to cover the damage.

Why it matters: Only a tiny proportion of Americans have flood insurance — and yet their insurance bills are already soaring.

Driving the news: Hurricane Helene caused as much as $250 billion of damage in total and about $47 billion of damage to homeowners alone — but was not particularly damaging to insurance companies, which collectively saw about $11 billion in damages, per Moody's.

Zoom out: Regulators can't force private insurers to offer coverage — the companies can just leave the state entirely, as Farmers did last year in Florida.

What we're watching: Insurance costs — not even including flood insurance, which most Americans don't have — have been rising steadily as a percentage of total mortgage payments for more than five years.

• Don't expect that trend to change any time soon.

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The Abraham Lincoln statue in Lincoln Park was defaced with red paint and graffiti yesterday. The same statue was defaced two years ago. (WGN-TV)

🏅 University of Chicago professor James A. Robinson won the Nobel Prize in economics for his research on the lasting effects of colonization on the prosperity of countries. Robinson won the honor with two MIT professors. (Tribune)

🛤️ Two people were arrested for stealing from a Union Pacific train stopped Friday at Lake Street and Lockwood Avenue. (Sun-Times)

🚙 Gov. JB Pritzker is pushing Stellantis to reopen their Belvidere plant, a year after the Netherlands-based company pledged to do so. (Crain's)

Here's the latest news on some well-known names in Chicago media:

🚗 Traffic reporter Violeta Podrumedic is out of "The Morning Mix" on WTMX-FM. Podrumedic did more than traffic, serving as a key member of the ensemble that replaced Eric Ferguson.

📻 The Score (WSCR-AM) added Marshall Harris to co-host middays with Dan Bernstein. Laurence Holmes moved to afternoons to co-host with Matt Spiegel.

🏒 Charlie Roumeliotis, who covered the Blackhawks for the now defunct NBC Sports Chicago, landed at WGN Radio to do Blackhawks pre-and post-game coverage.

☕️ Erin Allen, co-host of WBEZ's podcast "The Rundown," is switching roles. She will move to the "Curious City" team at the public radio station.

🥎 The producers: Digital stream producer Kevin Lapka left The Score for the new Chicago Sports Network, which will have a seismic impact on the media softball league.

More media moves

Stan's Donuts is paying tribute to a local fall staple with its new Affy Tapple doughnut ($5.95).

• Affy Tapple apples are famous for lining the produce shelves at Jewel, but Stan's gives it a much-needed twist.

​​The verdict: Normally it's a bad sign if a doughnut is dry and hard, but this treat is true to its namesake — you need a warm knife to cut into this.

• As is the case with the Affy Tapple apple, the doughnut is a bit of an afterthought, more of a receptacle for the caramel. The thick and sticky caramel slathered with (very) salty chopped peanuts is the real star.
• It's not as moist as Stan's Apple Fritter but, again, who cares? It's an Affy Tapple donut.

If you go: The Affy Tapple doughnut is available through Oct. 29.