(CHICAGO) At least four tornadoes touched down in downstate and north central Illinois Wednesday night while storms grounded hundreds of flights and knocked out power to more than 5,000 customers in the southwest, south west and northwest suburbs.
A tornado and flash flood watch remained in effect for the entire area until 1 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
Just after 11 p.m. the weather service confirmed a tornado had touched own near Piper City, but additional details were not immediately available. About 10:15 p.m., another tornado touched down about seven miles west of downstate Pontiac.
An hour earlier, another tornado touched down in Seneca, trapping people inside a home, according to the weather service. Details about their conditions were not immediately available.
Another confirmed tornado was reported at 7:32 p.m. seven miles west of Paw Paw, and a tornado warning was previously issued for DeKalb and Lee counties, according to the weather service.
The weather service also cautioned that, along with tornadoes, the formation of large hail was possible.
Shortly before 9 p.m., the weather service said the storm had produced 50 mph winds in the area. About the same time, ComEd reported that 3,000 customers in the west and northwest suburbs were without power.
As of 8:30 p.m., 325 flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport and more than 70 flights were canceled at Midway International Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. At O’Hare, inbound and outbound flights were delayed 30-90 minutes. Delays of 60 minutes were reported for about a dozen inbound and outbound flights at Midway.
About 8 p.m., Soldier Field issued an alert telling 50,000 attendees of the Copa America soccer game to seek shelter within the stadium, according to OEMC Managing Deputy of Operations Rich Guidice.
Guidice cautioned motorists to avoid viaducts and “to use common sense” when traveling.
Localized flooding and flash floods are also possible with the storm. A flash flood watch remains in effect until 1 a.m. Thursday. The storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall, as much as 2 inches per hour, the weather service reported.
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