Tornado disrupts hundreds of flights at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports

Hundreds of flights at Chicago’s O’Hare airport were disrupted Wednesday when a tornado touched down near the airport, sending passengers scrambling to take shelter. There were no reported injuries. 

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center received at least five reports of tornadoes Wednesday, including at Chicago O’Hare International, as severe storms pounded the Chicago metro and northern Illinois, FOX Weather reported. 

A confirmed tornado was on the ground around 7 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Chicago said. 

“This tornado has been touching the ground intermittently so far and is moving east. There are additional circulations along the line south of O’Hare. Seek shelter if in the warned area,” it said. 

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By 8 p.m., the weather service said the Chicago forecast area was “currently tornado warning free.” The storm moved into Michigan before passing through the state and into Canada early Thursday. Tornado watches that were in effect for parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio all expired.

The severe weather triggered a ground stop at O’Hare and Midway airports, leading to hundreds of flight delays and cancelations. 

Local TV stations filmed hundreds of people taking shelter in an O’Hare concourse. By 10 p.m., 397 flights in and out of O’Hare had been canceled, and more than 1,200 flights were delayed, Fox 32 Chicago reported, citing data from FlyChicago. 

Kevin Bargnes, director of communications for O’Hare and Chicago Midway International Airport, told WGN-TV Wednesday night there was no damage reported at either airport. 

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Suburbs outside the city were not as fortunate, with trees blocking roadways and cutting off power, according to FOX Weather. 

Fallen trees blocked sidewalks and damaged homes in Cook County, where tornado sirens had blared earlier. 

In Hodgkins, southwest of Chicago, police said storm damage and debris were found on the north end of town, near a shopping center. 

At least one residential complex was heavily damaged by the storms in Indian Head Park.  

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More than 10,000 power outages were reported across Illinois, according to PowerOutage.US.

Meteorologists with the NWS in Chicago will spend the next few days working to survey the damage and assess how many tornadoes touched down in the region. 

It is not unheard of for tornadoes to strike the Chicago metro area, and several have touched ground in the city limits of Chicago, according to the National Weather Service. Between 1855 and 2021, there were 97 significant tornadoes in the Chicago metro area, according to NWS records. 

The deadliest storm formed in Palos Hills in Cook County on April 21, 1967. That tornado traveled 16 miles through Oak Lawn and the south side of Chicago, killing 33 people, injuring 500 and causing more than $50 million in damage, according to the weather service. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.