Vol à vide :Chicago O’Hare and Midway: thunderstorm ground stops, nearly 1,000 delays

On the morning of Thursday 17 September 2026, the FAA issued temporary ground stops for departures at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Midway (MDW) as thunderstorms and heavy rain moved across the metro area (NBC Chicago / CBS Chicago).

What travellers saw

FAA windows ran roughly through 06:45 local at Midway and 07:15 at O’Hare. After the stops lifted, knock-on delays continued: the Chicago Sun-Times, citing FlightAware around 09:25, reported about 159 cancellations and 800+ delays at O’Hare, plus 25+ cancellations and 135+ delays at Midway — nearly 1,000 delayed flights across both hubs. Always recheck your airline app; recovery banks can linger after the advisory clears.

If the schedule is critical

Build buffer for same-day ORD/MDW connections when Chicago storms are forecast. If you cannot absorb multi-hour weather holds, a private jet or empty leg can avoid airline recovery churn. Rahizi qualifies the brief and returns partner options.

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Facts from FAA programs as reported by NBC Chicago / CBS / Chicago Sun-Times (FlightAware tallies) on 17 September 2026. Always verify with your carrier.