Powerful Winds Shut Down Chicago Skyway, Leave Thousands Without Power

The Chicago Skyway was shut down in both directions Thursday for several hours due to dangerous high winds whipping across the Chicago area. 

Around 2:20 a.m. Chicago and Indiana Police closed the Skyway bridge between 91st and 106th streets, citing debris that had blown into the roadways such as high metals and roofing. 

The Skyway reopened in both directions just before 3 p.m., officials said.

A Severe Wind Advisory will stay in place until 6 p.m. By early Thursday, gusts were reaching upwards of 50 mph, and are expected to continue with maintained strength throughout the day. 

More than 11,000 Chicago area residents lost power as a result of the extreme winds, and ComEd was working to restore as many customers as possible while warning people throughout the area to expect intermittent outages as the storm continues to roll through.

By 9 a.m., more than 40 flights had been canceled at O'Hare International Airport, with delays averaging at least 20 minutes.

The Chicago area will likely feel the impact of the large and powerful storm system for days, with temperatures reaching mid-40s Thursday, but due to the winds will feel like they are in the 30s. 

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