See it: Passengers ride out Chicago storms in airplanes stuck on tarmac
A wind gust of 75 mph was recorded at O'Hare International Airport, and the National Weather Service in Chicago suggested tornadoes could have passed over both of the city's major airports.
'Turbulence on the ground': Passenger rides out Chicago derecho in plane stuck on tarmac
Daniel Amato was among the passengers who were forced to endure the powerful storms that tore through Chicago on Monday night in an airplane that was stuck on the tarmac at O'Hare International Airport.
CHICAGO – Monday night turned terrifying for travelers at both of Chicago's major airports as some passengers were forced to endure dangerous storms while waiting in planes on the tarmac.
A wind gust of 75 mph was recorded at O'Hare International Airport, and the National Weather Service in Chicago suggested tornadoes could have passed over both airports.
"We are seeing power flashes on both the O'Hare and Midway Airport webcams due to likely tornadoes and/or destructive wind gusts near those areas," the agency said about 9:40 p.m. local time Monday. "Continue to take these warnings seriously!!"
Crowd of travelers inside Chicago O'Hare shelter in place from possible tornado
During severe weather Monday, travelers at Chicago O'Hare International Airport were forced to gather in a massive group, prompting a shelter-in-place order.
The severe weather conditions, including multiple reports of tornadoes, struck Chicago on Monday night, forcing hundreds of travelers at O'Hare to take shelter as flights were delayed and canceled.
Monday saw an alarming number of over 40 tornado warnings, with nearly the entire Chicago metro area being affected at one point.
(FOX Weather)
Daniel Amato, who had boarded a flight at O'Hare to Columbia, Missouri, said he started recording "a little bit after the pilot said we had to stay put because they were evacuating the control tower."
Plane stays on Chicago runway amid tornado-warned storm
A plane filled with passengers had to stay on the runway at Chicago O’Hare International Airport amid tornado-warned storms that killed at least one person on Monday, officials said.
"Sat through it. It was crazy," Amato wrote on X.
William Boggs was also traveling at O'Hare as the storm hit.
"We could definitely feel it moving us," he told FOX Weather, sharing footage from inside a United Airlines plane he was aboard at the time. "ATC (air traffic control) evacuated as we were trying to take off, so we got stuck out there."
Video from eyewitness Michael Mason captured from inside a plane stuck on the tarmac shows the wind whipping rain against the plane's window as the storm swept through the area.
Wind-whipped rain seen through airplane window at O'Hare International Airport
Severe weather conditions, including a tornado, struck Chicago on Monday night, forcing hundreds of travelers at O'Hare International Airport to take shelter as flights were delayed and canceled.
A total of 16 Tornado Warnings were issued by the Chicago NWS office Monday – the third most issued in a single day. It was also the most since April 20, 2004, when 19 warnings were issued.
NWS Chicago may conduct damage surveys in as many as 29 locations.