Chicago airport tornado warning has plane passengers stuck on tarmac

A shelter-in-place order was made during the worst of the storm. Photo / 123rf

Passengers were stranded on a plane at Chicago O’Hare Airport unable to disembark during a tornado warning and extreme storms on Monday night.

Chicago’s National Weather Service reported up to 10 simultaneous tornadoes whipping through the city, and one was spotted moving towards the international airport.

Travellers were urged to “exercise caution” and follow airport personnel’s instructions, a post from the airport on X says.

When the area received a shelter-in-place order, travellers inside the terminals were ordered to go under ground and move away from windows. Those already on planes, however, simply had to sit tight and hope for the best while winds of up to 120km/h moved through the city.

A passenger waiting inside an aircraft shared a video on Instagram, capturing the sound of the wind howling outside, and another person captured the moment a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky.

Courtney Mares shared several videos and photos to her Instagram stories on how fellow passengers were receiving “multiple tornado warnings” as they sat on the plane.

Air traffic control and ground control allegedly evacuated the concourse and the large plane was being shaken by powerful gales.

More than 400 flights were delayed and 60 flights were cancelled at O’Hare, according to data from FlightAware.

Back inside the airport, a video posted to X showed crowds of people waiting around.

I'm currently at the Chicago airport and we have been asked to shelter in place. I really miss California. 😭 pic.twitter.com/6ruZwZHfR2

— Carolina. (@realCarola2Hope) July 16, 2024

“I’m currently at the Chicago airport and we have been asked to shelter in place. I really miss California,” they wrote.

Tornado warnings in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin were lifted at 1am, and flash flood warnings were lifted at 4am.

Mares shared another photo of her exiting the plane, followed by a photo in a hotel room at 1.48am. She claimed it took an hour to get a hotel, which ended up being full, so she was sent to another place a 20-minute drive away and finally got to sleep.