This was the scene Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, where a storm forced NFL fans from the stands and teams off the field.
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Chicago's landmark football stadium was struck by a severe storm shortly after noon, and nasty weather threatened again early in the second half of the Chicago Bears' game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Play resumed under sunny skies after delay of about two hours in the first quarter. There was no report of injuries from the storm's first strike.
Temperatures reportedly dropped 30 degrees after kickoff. Rain returned and wind gusts were strong, reported to be 40 mph and more.
NFL fans know to prepare for inclement weather, but Sunday proved something different and much more dangerous.
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And despite the weather, the game went into overtime. The Bears ended it with a 23-20 victory.
Chicago's scare was major news, but elsewhere in Illinois, two people died, a Peoria hospital was treating nearly 40 injured and 70 homes were in ruins.
More than 60 tornadoes were reported Sunday, according to weather officials.
In Chicago, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications issued a warning to fans attending making their way to Soldier Field to watch the Bears against the Ravens.
The warning was prophetic and ultimately borne out.
The game was stopped because of a tornado warning with 4:51 left in the first quarter. Fans were told to leave the stands as players fled to the locker rooms. Coaches, officials, cheerleaders and field personnel also scrambled for safety.
Graphic images showed the power of the storm as it struck the venerable sports facility. It was, some observed, real wrath of god stuff.
SEE IT: Before and after at Soldier Field today. http://t.co/c7MR19dGkm #CHIvsBAL MORE PHOTOS --> http://t.co/4BScSxft7S pic.twitter.com/IMhptV3tmh
Play resumed at 2:25 p.m. CT, about 25 minutes after fans were allowed back into the stands. Field conditions suffered from the heavy amount of rain.
There also were reports beer sales were suspended during the delay — reportedly because patrons were buying too much.
When inclement weather returned late in the game fans began to flee the stadium. Winds gusted and shifted direction as rain resumed. The field, famed for its natural turf of spotty condition, was a quagmire. The game remained close but resembled a mud bowl.
End zone uprights were swaying so much the field crew was attempting to anchor it with rope.
That game is part of a full schedule of Sunday games in pro football. College and professional basketball also are under way, but it is primarily the eastern part of the United States that was being watched.
NFL games in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh also were in the path of rough weather. However, it appeared neither the Cleveland Browns-Cincinnati Bengals game nor the Detroit Lions-Pittsburgh Steelers game would be halted.
Other sports events also appeared to dodge the proverbial bullet. Of note, NASCAR's final race in its Chase for the Sprint Cup rolled near Miami under typical Florida fall sunshine.
"People can fall into complacency because they don't see severe weather and tornados, but we do stress that they should keep a vigilant eye on the weather and have a means to hear a tornado warning because things can change very quickly," said Matt Friedlein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Several Midwestern states were under thunderstorm and tornado watches Sunday.
Strong winds and atmospheric instability were expected to sweep across the central Plains during the day before pushing into the mid-Atlantic states and northeast by evening. Many of the storms were expected to become supercells, with the potential to produce tornadoes, large hail and destructive winds.
In Chicago, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications issued a warning to fans attending making their way to Soldier Field. It urged fans "to take extra precautions and ... appropriate measures to ensure their personal safety."
The Ravens' Justin Tucker had just kicked a 52-yard field goal to make it 10-0 when fans were ordered to seek cover.
Players stayed on the sideline for a few minutes before heading to the locker room as heavy rains and strong winds hit.
Long lines formed in the upper deck as drenched fans tried to make their way toward the tunnel with lightning striking near the stadium.
The rain was so heavy it looked as if the Chicago skyline was gone. Fans in suites and reporters in the press box were ordered to move away from the glass. At one point, a spectator ran across the field and got tackled by about three or four security guards before being escorted away.
Fans were allowed to return to their seats when the skies cleared, and they let out a big roar when Bears players started trotting onto the field three minutes later.
Before the delay, the Ravens got off to a good start — particularly the struggling Ray Rice.
Bothered by a strained hip flexor and averaging just 2.5 yards per carry coming into the game, he broke off a 47-yard run to the 10 on Baltimore's first possession and ran it in from the 1 to make it 7-0 after the Bears' Chris Conte got called for interference against Ed Dickson in the back of the end zone. Tucker added to the lead with that big kick on the Ravens' next possession.
Weather officials confirmed a tornado in central Illinois.
The National Weather Service said Sunday that the tornado was located near East Peoria and moving northeast at 55 mph just before 11 a.m. CT.
Weather officials are warning residents of potential damage to homes, windows and vehicles. East Peoria police and county authorities didn't immediately have damage reports available.
A tornado watch was posted for more than half of Michigan's 83 counties, from Lake Michigan in the west to the state's most populous counties in the east.
Friedlein said that such strong storms are rare this late in the year because there usually isn't enough heat from the sun to sustain the thunderstorms. But he said temperatures Sunday are expected to reach into the 60s and 70s, which he said is warm enough to help produce severe weather when it is coupled with winds, which are typically stronger this time of year than in the summer.
"You don't need temperatures in the 80s and 90s to produce severe weather (because) the strong winds compensate for the lack of heating," he said. "That sets the stage for what we call wind shear, which may produce tornadoes."
He also said that the tornadoes this time a year happen more often than people might realize, pointing to a twister that hit the Rockford, Ill., area in November 2010.
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As with any situation, no matter how serious, there was humor to be found. Consider the image at left, an homage to the classic comedy Ghostbusters.
And yet, this was no joke.
The storm raced through downtown Chicago so powerfully that the rain was not falling as much as it was slamming into the sides of buildings. There were no confirmed reports of injuries.
"Our primary message is this is a dangerous weathers system that has the potential to be extremely deadly and destructive," said Laura Furgione, deputy director of the National Weather Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Get ready now."
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"This is a very dangerous situation," said Russell Schneider, director of the weather service's Storm Prediction Center. "Approximately 53 million in 10 states are at significant risk for thunderstorms and tornadoes."
Schneider noted that the storms are moving at 60 mph, which he said will not give people enough time to seek shelter if they're relying on watching the sky alone.
The community of Washington in central Illinois appeared particularly hard hit, and a state official said that emergency crews were racing to the area amid reports that people had been trapped in buildings. But communications were spotty — many calls made by to the area by The Associated Press could not be completed — and Patti Thompson of the Illinois Department of Emergency Management said it was difficult to get information from the scene.
Contributing: Associated Press