Chicago High Winds Ground Flights, Knock Out Power for Thousands on St. Patrick's Day

A powerful wind event battered Chicago on St. Patrick's Day, with gusts approaching 60 mph causing widespread disruptions across the city, including flight diversions at O'Hare International Airport, mass power outages, and delays across multiple transit systems.

Wind gusts at O'Hare and Midway Airport peaked at 53 and 56 mph respectively by early Friday morning, while nearby Valparaiso Airport in Indiana recorded gusts of 63 mph. The Federal Aviation Administration implemented a brief ground stop at O'Hare, which lifted around 7:15 a.m., as a high wind warning remained in effect for the Chicago area until 4 p.m. The dangerous conditions forced multiple aircraft to abort landings, including a Frontier Airlines flight from Austin, Texas, that was ultimately diverted to Cincinnati, Ohio — roughly 300 miles from its intended destination — after several failed approach attempts.

Utility provider ComEd reported more than 30,000 power outages earlier in the day, concentrated on Chicago's North Side and in northwest suburbs, before crews managed to restore power to approximately 47,000 customers by Friday evening, reducing active outages to around 1,200. The strong winds stemmed from a low-pressure system moving from Madison, Wisconsin toward Lake Michigan, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Brett Borchardt. Ground transportation was also impacted, with Metra and CTA Yellow Line service both experiencing delays due to debris on the tracks. Borchardt warned that another storm system expected Sunday night could bring severe thunderstorms, snowfall, and wind chills dropping to as low as minus 5 degrees early next week.