Chicago hit by severe storms as 500,000+ lose power, flights halted

The storms brought torrential rain and extreme winds, with a 99 mph (159 kph) gust recordedChicago and parts of the wider Midwest were hit by severe storms on Tuesday, leaving more than 500,000 customers without power, grounding flights and causing widespread damage across Illinois and north-western Indiana.Power outages affected more than 600,000 customers across Illinois and Indiana at the peak of the storm, according to PowerOutage.us, with Lake and Porter counties in Indiana and Will County south of Chicago among the hardest-hit areas. The storms also disrupted air travel, with all flights temporarily halted at Chicago’s two major airports as officials dealt with the dangerous conditions and worked to clear a backlog.The storms brought torrential rain and extreme winds, with a 99 mph (