Midwest Storms Cut Power To Nearly 1 Million And Halt Chicago Flights
Powerful storms knocked out power to nearly 1 million customers across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky and temporarily halted flights at Chicago O'Hare and Midway on Tuesday evening, August 11, 2026.[1]
By Tuesday evening more than 991,000 customers were without power, up from earlier counts of about 600,000 in Illinois and Indiana and 166,000 in Ohio.[1] FlightAware reported that 45% of O'Hare flights were delayed and 10% were canceled, and all flights at O'Hare and Midway were temporarily halted.[1] CBS meteorologists said at least two suspected tornadoes tracked through south Chicago suburbs and northwest Indiana, causing significant tree and power-line damage in communities including Flossmoor and Crown Point.[1]
National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Baker said the event was driven by a "ring of fire" pattern around a large high-pressure zone that produced repeated waves of storms.[1] PBS reported the same severe weather was pounding Illinois and Indiana, with tornado sirens blaring as storms knocked out power in multiple communities.[2]
City officials in Portage, Indiana, said a home explosion during the storm killed at least one person; authorities have not confirmed the blast was weather-related.[1] Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said a Roseville resident died after first responders could not reach them because of flooded roads during the storms.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- By Tuesday evening, August 11, 2026, more than 991,000 customers were without power across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, up from earlier counts of about 600,000 in Illinois/Indiana and 166,000 in Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us.
- All flights were temporarily halted at Chicago O'Hare and Midway on August 11, 2026; FlightAware reported that 45% of O'Hare flights were delayed and 10% were canceled that day, disrupting operations at Chicago O'Hare.
- National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Baker said the event was driven by a "ring of fire" pattern around a large high‑pressure zone that was producing repeated waves of storms.
- CBS meteorologists reported at least two suspected tornadoes through south Chicago suburbs and northwest Indiana, causing significant tree and power‑line damage in communities such as Flossmoor and Crown Point.
- City officials in Portage, Indiana said a home explosion during the storm killed at least one person; authorities have not confirmed the blast was weather‑related.
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said a Roseville resident died during a health emergency on August 11, 2026, after first responders could not reach them because of flooded roads.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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- By Tuesday evening, August 11, 2026, more than 991,000 customers were without power across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, according to PowerOutage.us, up from earlier counts of about 600,000 in Illinois/Indiana and 166,000 in Ohio.
- All flights were temporarily halted at Chicago O'Hare and Midway on August 11, 2026, and FlightAware reported that 45% of O'Hare flights were delayed and 10% canceled that day.
- National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Baker attributed the event to a 'ring of fire' pattern around a large high-pressure zone that was driving repeated waves of storms.
- CBS meteorologists reported at least two suspected tornadoes through south Chicago suburbs and northwest Indiana, with significant tree and power-line damage in communities such as Flossmoor and Crown Point.
- City officials in Portage, Indiana, said a home explosion during the storm killed at least one person; the cause of the blast has not yet been confirmed as weather-related.
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said a Roseville resident died during a health emergency when first responders could not reach them because of flooded roads on August 11, 2026.