The surrounding areas suffered damage with hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled (Picture: AP)
Airplanes were forced to ground in Chicago after a tornado touched down and battered the city.
Passengers hurried to find shelter after extreme weather hit the US city’s O’Hare International Airport.
Hundreds of flights were disrupted, and the surrounding homes and buildings suffered damage from the strong winds, as North America experiences extreme weather conditions.
The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado was on the ground around 7pm.
‘This tornado has been touching the ground intermittently so far and is moving east,’ they said.
‘There are additional circulations along the line south if O’Hare. Seek shelter if in the warned area.’
Another video shows a large funnell cloud forming at the Highlands Golf Club, 12 miles south of O’Hare.
Lynn Becker posted to Twitter: ‘I’m in a 60 storey apartment building so my options are somewhat limited.
The tornado has not moved towards Michigan, Indiana and Ohio(Picture: AP)
‘We have to, I assume, go into the core of the building.’
More than 500 flights were delayed, and 173 were cancelled, according to tracking service FlightAware.
No damage was reported at the airport.
Passengers were urged to take shelter in the airport concourse (Picture: @HannahFollmanTV)
The tornado has not moved towards Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, where watches have been put in place.
Tornadoes frequently strike the metropolitan area of Chicago, with several having hit the city limits.
Between 1855 and 2008, the weather service recorded 92 significant tornadoes in the Chicago metro area.Â
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