Storms bring flood warning, airport delays to Chicago area

A flood warning was issued for southern Cook County and Northwest Indiana as storms moved through the area Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The inclement weather was causing issues for air travelers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which issued a ground delay at O’Hare International Airport, in effect until 2 a.m. Thursday.

According to FlyChicago.com, as of about 7:30 p.m., average delays for arrivals at O’Hare were about an hour and a half, while average delays for departures were an hour. Delays in arrivals and departures at Midway were 15 to 20 minutes as of the same time, and there were about 234 flight cancellations at O’Hare and 78 at Midway.

The first, less severe, round of storms hit the area between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. while a second round in the later afternoon that had a chance for more severe weather never fully materialized in the Chicago area, according to the weather service.

Several weather alerts were issued throughout Wednesday, including a beach hazard in effect through Thursday morning, warning waves could reach 4 to 6 feet high, and swimming conditions could be life-threatening, according to the weather service.

A flood advisory issued by the weather service was in effect until Friday morning for portions of southern Cook County and Northwest Indiana, particularly along Thorn Creek and the Little Calumet River.

Additionally, an Overflow Action Day alert was put into effect Wednesday by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, which urges the community to conserve water usage to reduce water in sewers.

The rainfall, on the heels of the heavy rainfall and storms that struck Chicago last week, meant a high risk of flash flooding, especially in the city and areas that are more prone to flooding, such as viaducts.

The forecast for Thursday, Friday and Saturday is sunny skies and temperature in the 70s.