Commuter Conditions

Chicago Derecho Causes Major Travel Problems; Drivers Abandon Cars on I-190, Walk to O'Hare Airport

A large, damaging storm system that made its way through Chicago Monday left lasting impacts on the city's roads and airports Tuesday morning, forcing some commuters to take desperate measures in order to reach O'Hare International Airport.

Stranded by flooding along Interstate 190, some drivers decided to leave their cars on the highway and walk to the airport, according to social media reports. The Chicago Tribune reported authorities were letting one westbound car pass at a time because the roadway is under about a foot of water, and drivers are being asked to use local roads to get to the airport instead of the expressway.

(MORE: Derecho Hits Midwest, Several Killed | Track Severe Weather)

"It's just been a standstill, crawling at times," said Maddy MacAllister, who was trying to get to Tampa for the July 4 holiday, during a Tuesday morning interview on The Weather Channel. "It got so bad that people got out of their cars and started walking the two miles to the airport."

MacAllister added she saw snow plows being used to help move the standing water. I-190 was reopened at about 7:50 a.m. Central time, according to local reports.

According to local storm reports, O'Hare received 2.6 inches of rain on Monday – a daily rainfall record for the airport.

The flight-tracking website FlightAware reported 700 canceled flights in the United States on Monday, and 479 of those cancelations occurred at O'Hare. Chicago's Midway International Airport was second in U.S. cancelations, with 39.

For more information, here are some images and comments from eyewitnesses to the situation: