Chicago area storms spark warnings for severe weather, flooding; flights resume at O'Hare, Midway
Another round of severe storms in the Chicago area Wednesday morning prompted an early tornado warning and thunderstorm watches before the main concerns became flooding/
Flights have resumed at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport but both are reporting departure delays. Midway has departure delays averaging 45 minutes, while O'Hare is on a ground delay averaging 104 minutes due to storms, and reports departure delays averaging 90 minutes and growing because of the weather.
This latest round of storms comes as hundreds of thousands of people are experiencing power outages across Illinois and Indiana. Tuesday's storms brought winds over 90 miles per hour that left buildings damaged, schools closed, and trees downed onto homes.
While the latest round of storms didn't cause that kind of widespread damage, the added rain and wind exacerbated the situation for people already trying to piece their lives back together.
And it's not the end of potential severe weather this week either. While conditions will remain quieter through midday Thursday, starting Thursday afternoon another complex of thunderstorms will move in from the west, bringing heavy rain and flooding risks. Right now, the threat of severe storm or wind damage appears lower.
Periods of heavy rain are likely from mid-Thursday through Friday and could cause serious flooding. There are also severe storms and additional periods of torrential rainfall are in the forecast for the weekend as well, and will likely impact portions of the Air & Water Show.
Overflow Action Alert issued amid storms
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago issued an Overflow Action Day for the Chicago area to help prevent flooding and protect water quality as this latest round of storms soaks northern Illinois even further.
Residents are asked to delay taking showers and baths, flush their toilets less frequently and wait to run the dishwasher or washing machine. Conserving water helps mitigate flooding and keep the sewers and reservoirs from becoming contaminated.
