From Chicago Sun-Times · · 1m 50s
Morning storms slam Chicago airports with nearly 1,000 delays
Thunderstorms dumped up to 3 inches of rain across the Chicago area Thursday, forcing ground stops and causing massive flight disruptions.
In brief
Thunderstorms dumped up to 3 inches of rain across the Chicago area Thursday, forcing ground stops and causing massive flight disruptions. Early morning thunderstorms caused nearly 1,000 flight delays and cancellations at Chicago's two major airports, with some areas receiving the heaviest rainfall in a month…
Storms hit Chicago Thursday morning
Early morning thunderstorms caused ground stops at O'Hare and Midway airports, with heavy rain falling across the Chicago area.
Heaviest rain in a month
One to three inches of rain fell throughout Chicago, with Aurora receiving about 3 inches and Romeoville getting 2 inches. This was the most rain the area had seen in a month.
“the most rain we've seen in a month”
Airport rainfall totals
O'Hare received about seven-tenths of an inch while Midway saw 1.6 inches of rain during the morning storms.
Nearly 1,000 flights affected
By 9:25 a.m., O'Hare had 159 canceled flights and over 800 delayed. Midway reported over 25 cancellations and more than 135 delays.
Two-hour average delays
Ground stops were lifted early Thursday morning, but flights continued moving with an average delay of over two hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Flood advisory issued
A flood advisory was in effect for the Chicago metro area until 10:30 a.m. as the heaviest rain passed through the region.
Spotty showers continue
Meteorologist Brett Borchardt said some spotty showers and storms would continue through the morning, but the rest of the day would be largely dry.
“We are still going to have some spotty showers and storms through the next few hours across the morning, but otherwise we are looking at a largely dry rest of the day”
Road safety warning
Borchardt urged commuters to avoid driving through flooded intersections and roads, warning that water depth is unknown and conditions remain slippery.
“If [you] do come upon an intersection or road that is flooded over, [you] just never want to drive through that since we don't know how deep it is”
More rain expected Friday
The Chicago area will experience dry conditions through Friday before rainfall returns Friday night into early Saturday morning.
In short
Early morning thunderstorms caused nearly 1,000 flight delays and cancellations at Chicago's two major airports, with some areas receiving the heaviest rainfall in a month.
