Overview

• Strong winds of 60–70 mph over dry farmlands triggered the fast-moving dust storm on May 16, 2025.
• This was only the second dust storm warning ever issued by the National Weather Service in the Chicago area and the first to include the city itself.
• The storm caused near-zero visibility, halting incoming flights at Midway International Airport for an hour and disrupting road traffic along Interstate 55.
• Satellite imagery captured the storm's dramatic scale, showing a 100-mile-wide dust plume plunging parts of Chicago into darkness.
• Officials urged residents to avoid travel during the storm, which cleared in 30–45 minutes, leaving skies over Chicago back to normal.