July 13--Some Union Pacific Metra trains were delayed an hour and a half Monday as thunderstorms rolled through the Chicago area.
Trains on the Union Pacific North, Northwest and West lines were halted around 5:30 a.m. because of the possibility of high winds with the storms, according to Metra. The trains began running again around 7 a.m.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the Chicago area until 7:15 a.m. Wind gusts of 60 mph were reported, but the storms appeared to weaken as they approached the area. The area remained under a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 a.m.
The storms also tied up air traffic. As of 10 a.m., more than 150 flights had been canceled at O'Hare International Airport and about 560 were reporting delays.
A second wave of storms was expected to hit the area during the evening, with heavy downpours and flash flooding. A flash flood watch was in effect for portions of Illinois and Indiana until Monday night, including Cook County.
With temperatures and humidity levels at seasonal highs, and a weather system approaching, conditions are primed for severe weather across parts of the Midwest.
Temperatures in the 90s and dew points near 80 degrees over the mid-Mississippi Valley have made the atmosphere extremely unstable.
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