Tornado swarm strikes Chicago area, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations at O'Hare

Allison Finch
·2 min read
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A storm system spawned more than 11 tornadoes across the Chicago metro area on Wednesday evening, which prompted hundreds of passengers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to seek shelter. The twisters caused extensive damage to homes and businesses.

Just before 6:30 p.m. CDT, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Chicago confirmed a "large and extremely dangerous" tornado touched down in Summit, Illinois, and was moving toward Chicago. Summit is located 10 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.

About 30 minutes later, the NWS confirmed a tornado had touched down near Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The agency warned the tornado was intermittently touching the ground and additional circulations were possible.

As the tornado neared O'Hare International Airport, hundreds of passengers, pilots, flight attendants and airport staff crowded into the lowest level of the airport for shelter. At least 172 flights were canceled, and more than 550 departing and arriving flights were delayed from O'Hare on Wednesday, according to FlightAware.

A video shared on Twitter showed just how close the powerful tornado came to the airport on Wednesday. The large spiraling vortex could be seen spinning in the distance as planes waited at the gates of the airport.

The Director of Communications at O'Hare and Midway Kevin Bargnes told WGN9 that there was no damage from the tornado at either airport.

For those who lived in downtown Chicago, the tornado sirens created an eerie scene on Wednesday evening. Many who live in high-rise apartment buildings were worried about where they could quickly find shelter.

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"I'm in a 60-story apartment building, so my options are somewhat limited," longtime Chicago resident Lynn Becker told The Associated Press. "We have to, I assume, go into the core of the building."

Preliminary tornado reports from Wednesday, July 12, 2023.

In Elgin, Illinois, which is located about 34 miles northwest of Chicago, at least 20 to 30 homes sustained significant damage from the tornadoes on Wednesday, NBC5 Chicago reported.

Among the additional storm reports, damage was reported to several barns and roofs, and multiple trees and powerlines were reported down. According to the Storm Prediction Center, a warehouse located near O'Hare International Airport also sustained damage.

A drone video from Chicago and Midwest Storm Chasers showed the trail of destruction a tornado left behind in Countryside, Illinois, which is a town located roughly 15 miles southwest of Chicago. Homes were missing roofs and several trees had been knocked over.

As of Thursday evening, the NWS office in Chicago confirmed at least 11 tornadoes touched down across northeastern Illinois on Wednesday. The majority of Wednesday's tornadoes were rated EF0 or EF1.

Correction: A previous version of this story labeled Elgin, Illinois, as a county. Elgin is a city located in Cook and Kane Counties.

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