diff --git a/src/compiler/checker.ts b/src/compiler/checker.ts
index 9f77641faf5cc..5c0416163ea00 100644
--- a/src/compiler/checker.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/checker.ts
@@ -27211,7 +27211,6 @@ export function createTypeChecker(host: TypeCheckerHost): TypeChecker {
             isFunctionLike(node) && !getImmediatelyInvokedFunctionExpression(node) ||
             node.kind === SyntaxKind.ModuleBlock ||
             node.kind === SyntaxKind.SourceFile ||
-            node.kind === SyntaxKind.CatchClause ||
             node.kind === SyntaxKind.PropertyDeclaration)!;
     }
 
@@ -27587,7 +27586,6 @@ export function createTypeChecker(host: TypeCheckerHost): TypeChecker {
         const isParameter = getRootDeclaration(declaration).kind === SyntaxKind.Parameter;
         const declarationContainer = getControlFlowContainer(declaration);
         let flowContainer = getControlFlowContainer(node);
-        const isCatch = flowContainer.kind === SyntaxKind.CatchClause;
         const isOuterVariable = flowContainer !== declarationContainer;
         const isSpreadDestructuringAssignmentTarget = node.parent && node.parent.parent && isSpreadAssignment(node.parent) && isDestructuringAssignmentTarget(node.parent.parent);
         const isModuleExports = symbol.flags & SymbolFlags.ModuleExports;
@@ -27602,7 +27600,7 @@ export function createTypeChecker(host: TypeCheckerHost): TypeChecker {
         // We only look for uninitialized variables in strict null checking mode, and only when we can analyze
         // the entire control flow graph from the variable's declaration (i.e. when the flow container and
         // declaration container are the same).
-        const assumeInitialized = isParameter || isCatch || isAlias || isOuterVariable || isSpreadDestructuringAssignmentTarget || isModuleExports || isSameScopedBindingElement(node, declaration) ||
+        const assumeInitialized = isParameter || isAlias || isOuterVariable || isSpreadDestructuringAssignmentTarget || isModuleExports || isSameScopedBindingElement(node, declaration) ||
             type !== autoType && type !== autoArrayType && (!strictNullChecks || (type.flags & (TypeFlags.AnyOrUnknown | TypeFlags.Void)) !== 0 ||
             isInTypeQuery(node) || isInAmbientOrTypeNode(node) || node.parent.kind === SyntaxKind.ExportSpecifier) ||
             node.parent.kind === SyntaxKind.NonNullExpression ||
diff --git a/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.js b/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..16cf0e40c238a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+//// [potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts]
+let foo;
+try {
+	if (Math.random() > 0.5) {
+		foo = 1234;
+	}
+} catch {
+	foo;
+}
+
+
+//// [potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.js]
+"use strict";
+var foo;
+try {
+    if (Math.random() > 0.5) {
+        foo = 1234;
+    }
+}
+catch (_a) {
+    foo;
+}
diff --git a/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.symbols b/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.symbols
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..97040ebb5c423
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.symbols
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+=== tests/cases/compiler/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts ===
+let foo;
+>foo : Symbol(foo, Decl(potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts, 0, 3))
+
+try {
+	if (Math.random() > 0.5) {
+>Math.random : Symbol(Math.random, Decl(lib.es5.d.ts, --, --))
+>Math : Symbol(Math, Decl(lib.es5.d.ts, --, --), Decl(lib.es5.d.ts, --, --))
+>random : Symbol(Math.random, Decl(lib.es5.d.ts, --, --))
+
+		foo = 1234;
+>foo : Symbol(foo, Decl(potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts, 0, 3))
+	}
+} catch {
+	foo;
+>foo : Symbol(foo, Decl(potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts, 0, 3))
+}
+
diff --git a/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.types b/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.types
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..ff381216aa3da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/baselines/reference/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.types
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+=== tests/cases/compiler/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts ===
+let foo;
+>foo : any
+
+try {
+	if (Math.random() > 0.5) {
+>Math.random() > 0.5 : boolean
+>Math.random() : number
+>Math.random : () => number
+>Math : Math
+>random : () => number
+>0.5 : 0.5
+
+		foo = 1234;
+>foo = 1234 : 1234
+>foo : any
+>1234 : 1234
+	}
+} catch {
+	foo;
+>foo : number | undefined
+}
+
diff --git a/tests/cases/compiler/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts b/tests/cases/compiler/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..8f1d4d26bf394
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cases/compiler/potentiallyUnassignedVariableInCatch.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+// @strict: true
+
+let foo;
+try {
+	if (Math.random() > 0.5) {
+		foo = 1234;
+	}
+} catch {
+	foo;
+}