Bad weather causes damage, airport delays

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A spate of bad weather caused damage and delays in and around Chicago and at both of its airports on Wednesday.

In north suburban Evanston, a lightning bolt apparently struck the chimney of an apartment building in the 600 block of Sheridan, raining down bricks, destroying some rear porches and damaging cars, including a classic Mustang.

"We were just watching TV and heard a boom," said resident Ahmane Allen. "The TV went blank, all the power shut off. We looked out the window and there were all kind of bricks, like some people's balconies were missing pieces. It was just scary, yeah."

People attending Thai Fest in the Federal Plaza weren't expecting the storm and many were caught off guard by a sudden downpour. Many went running to take shelter under the tents set up by vendors.

In southwest suburban Channahon, tornado sires were activated around noon. Officials there say a trained tornado spotter in Will County called for activation of the sirens, but no tornado touchdowns were reported in the area.

Dark clouds and rain hung over the airports, too, causing ground stops and flight delays. Both O'Hare and Midway were dealing with delays and the repercussions of earlier delays throughout the afternoon. Flight operations are now getting back to normal.