Story perspectives

O’Hare Ground Stops Cancel 60 Flights After Tornado Outages

8/13/2026

Summary

Chicago Tornadoes

Chicago, Illinois endured tornadoes and severe storms Aug 10-12, 2026, cutting power to 140,000 customers.
The National Weather Service logged EF1 tornadoes with winds of 100 mph in LaSalle, 95 mph near Streator, and 90 mph in Lee County.
Meteorologists warned that winds could top 120 mph in Flossmoor and that a derecho alert applied to the region.
Ground stops at O’Hare and Midway forced over 60 flight cancellations at O’Hare.

Summary

Fifield Warns

Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield warned drivers to fill tanks before entering Lake or Porter counties because outages left stations at risk of running out of gasoline and diesel.
Gary Public Transportation Corp. suspended all transit service, including Access219 paratransit, on Wednesday as continued outages prevented operations.
Cherie Kelly said the outage forced her Cherie's Garden Daycare, serving 50 children, to close, creating childcare challenges and financial strain.

History

Historical Context

On June 6-7 1998 a derecho hit the Great Lakes, producing gusts over 115 mph, cutting power to about 2.5 million customers and causing roughly $11 billion in damage. It was part of a roughly decade-spaced pattern of Midwest derechos (1998, 2011, 2020) that revealed grid fragility. The August 2026 Chicago tornadoes, which shut O’Hare and Midway, echo this recurring threat.

1 of 3

Chicago Tornadoes

Chicago, Illinois endured tornadoes and severe storms Aug 10-12, 2026, cutting power to 140,000 customers.
The National Weather Service logged EF1 tornadoes with winds of 100 mph in LaSalle, 95 mph near Streator, and 90 mph in Lee County.
Meteorologists warned that winds could top 120 mph in Flossmoor and that a derecho alert applied to the region.
Ground stops at O’Hare and Midway forced over 60 flight cancellations at O’Hare.

1 / 3