Many travelers were left stranded in Chicago with hundreds of flights canceled Tuesday afternoon as severe weather moved in.
Several people slept in luggage areas at the airport as rooms at area hotels filled up.
"Got a text around 3 p.m. that my flight was canceled. Not sure why because the rain had stopped. I’m still waiting to get out," said delayed traveler Tesla Jones. "I'm frustrated. I’ve been trying to sleep here but it’s freezing and I have to get back to get to work this morning."
In the morning hours, massive security lines trailed through the airport's Terminal 1. A spokesperson for the airport could not comment on why the line was long.
By 10 p.m. about 732 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport for what officials said were "severe weather conditions" surrounding the area. About 81 flights were canceled at Midway and delays averaged about 23 minutes.
O'Hare tweeted earlier Tuesday urging travelers to check the status of flights with their airlines.
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Rain and storms began moving into the Chicago area Tuesday afternoon and evening, one day after heavy downpours and flash flooding ended a days-long heat wave.
The storms prompted weather warnings and alerts for several parts of the area.
A round of storms in the Chicago area Monday evening already brought flooding throughout the region. [[456119263, C]]
More rain is possible Wednesday as a few showers and thunderstorms could move through some southern parts of the Chicago area.
Local
For many travelers, the delays and cancellations hit hard.
"It was supposed to be a two hour layover from Colorado Springs," said traveler Jan Baragar. "I’m heading to Croatia for my 30th anniversary. We missed our first connection, there are no hotels and we cat get out until tomorrow afternoon."
As of 6 a.m. Monday, 78 flights remained canceled at O'Hare and 2 others at Midway. Delays were listed at less than 15 minutes at both airports.
