Tornado cluster tears through Chicago as video captures thousands sheltering at O’Hare Airport

A cluster of tornadoes tore across the Chicago area overnight on Wednesday causing extensive damage, cancelling flights and leading thousands to take refuge at O’Hare Airport.

“[A] tornado is on the ground,” the National Weather Service posted online at 7.03pm local time. “TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.”

Sirens could be heard wailing across the area as black, ominous clouds formed over the city.

At least eight tornadoes were reported in the city amid severe thunderstorms. Viral video posted to social media showed thousands of people sheltering at O’Hare after air traffic was halted.

All departures from O’Hare and Midway airports were grounded, resulting in delays to almost all outgoing flights, the Federal Aviation Administration reported.

The tornadoes ripped through at least four counties in northeastern Illinois, including Cook County where Chicago is located.

One cinder block building collapsed in an industrial district of McCook, 15 miles southwest of Chicago.

Trees were uprooted and roofs blown off in the towns of Countryside and La Grange, according to the National Weather Service.

While there was some property damage, there were noo immediate reports of injuries or fatalities, authorities said.

Earlier Wednesday, the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center had said there was an enhanced risk for severe weather, including tornadoes in northern Illinois, including Chicago.

Brett Borchardt, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service, confirmed to WGN-TV that multiple tornadoes touched down across the Chicago area. He said surveying the damage will likely take days.

Over the years many tornadoes have struck in the Chicago metropolitan area, and several have hit within the city limits of Chicago, according to the National Weather Service. Between 1855 and 2021, the weather service recorded 97 significant tornadoes in the Chicago metro area.

The deadliest formed in Palos Hills in Cook County on April 21, 1967. The twister traveled 16 miles (26 kilometers) through Oak Lawn and the south side of Chicago, killing 33 people, injuring 500 and causing more than $50 million in damage, according to the weather service.

With Associated Press. This article has been updated