Delays persist at O'Hare as thunderstorms, much warmer weather move into Chicago area
A ground delay has been issued at O'Hare International Airport as thunderstorms roll into the Chicago area along with warmer temperatures Friday.
Inclement weather and thunderstorms caused at least two ground stops, one of which remains in effect for incoming flights to O'Hare, according to the FAA.
O'Hare has logged 190 cancellations and was averaging delays as of more than an hour as of about 11:30 a.m., according to FlyChicago. But according to the FAA, some flights were being delayed nearly 3 hours. At Midway, 20 flight cancellations have been reported, with delays averaging 30 minutes, FlyChicago said.
Periods of thunderstorms are expected on and off throughout the day and night, according to the National Weather Service, which said the hazardous weather outlook is for portions of north central Illinois, northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.
As of about 9 a.m., fog and mist are reported in the area and the temperature is 52 degrees, which is expected to spike near O'Hare to about 70. Closer to the lake, it will be in the 60s.
According to David King, a NWS meteorologist, though it will be much warmer, the chance of breaking any warm weather records is waning, in part because of heavy cloud cover blocking the sunlight.
"If we achieved it (70 degrees) we'd tie the record, King added.
"We're still expecting a nice warm day, but it's going to be humid," King said.
Looking ahead to the weekend, there may be lingering rain Saturday morning. “But not a whole lot of precipitation,” King said. “It’ll be a little breezy with winds gusts from 25-30 miles per hour,” King said, adding the temperatures should be in the low 60s Saturday and high 50s for Sunday.
Heavy rain and localized flooding will be possible with any of the thunderstorms, some of which may become severe this afternoon and late Friday, according to the NWS. Large hail and locally damaging winds will be possible with the strongest storms.
There is also a risk for tornadoes with any thunderstorms that develop this afternoon and dense fog will slowly improve from south to north this morning, according to the NWS.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.