Ground stop issued at Midway Airport due to storms in Chicago area

A ground stop was issued at Midway Airport as storms and potentially severe weather moved into the region Tuesday.

The ground stop was issued for departures headed to the Chicago airport just before 6 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It remained in effect until at least 6:30 p.m., though the alert noted that it could be extended.

“Departures to Chicago Midway are grounded due to thunderstorms,” the alert stated.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for parts of south-central Cook County until 6 p.m.

The following areas were also under a severe thunderstorm watch until midnight: DeKalb, Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties in Illinois along with Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana.

A large swath of the region, including much of Cook County, is under an “enhanced” risk of severe weather, which ranks as level three of five. Storms capable of producing tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds were expected in the area.

See the latest forecast updates here.