Travel News

Heavy Storms Hit Chicago, Delay Flights

Locations in this article:  Chicago, IL

Heavy storms hit Chicago Monday morning which resulted in canceled flights, some airport damage and increasing the city’s flight-delay record.

The severe thunderstorms produced winds of more than 60 mph with hail and heavy rain.

More than 100 flights out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were canceled. Planes flying into O’Hare and Midway International Airport were delayed 45 to 50 minutes.

Airlines with hubs at O’Hare and Midway, including American Airlines and Southwest, will likely have delays throughout the day due to the morning storms.

There were early reports that O’Hare airport was without power but those reports remain unsubstantiated. The high winds did knock down trees and cause some structural damage to the buildings. There are no reported injuries.

This storm is reminiscent of an earlier storm that hit Chicago on May 29. A report released last Thursday by the Department of Transportation indicates that the May storm resulted in the highest number of runway delays since the DOT implemented their new regimen of fines in April 2010.

During the May storm, 16 planes waited on the runway for more than three hours and hundreds of flights were canceled.  Prior to this storm there were only 20 tarmac delays for more than three hours. The DOT has yet to issue any fines and is waiting for the government to determine if safety or security issues made the runway delays necessary.

The DOT’s report also indicated that more flights were on time in May 2011 than in April 2011, though the previous May had a better record. Approximately 77 percent of all flights were on time this May compared to 75.5 in April and 79.9 in May 2010.

The storm is currently moving east through the Chicago at 65 mph toward northwest Indiana, so officials are confident that flights will not be further disrupted.

By Lily J. Kosner for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related Links: Chicago Sun-Times, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters

Related Links on PeterGreenberg.com: