CHICAGO (AP) — Severe weather cut power to over half a million people in the Chicago area and northwestern Indiana as perilous rainstorms pummeled the region on Tuesday, darkening the sky and carrying extreme wind gusts across state lines. Tornado warning sirens howled in Illinois and Indiana, and all flights were temporarily stopped in the late morning at Chicago’s two major airports. There were numerous reports of wind gusts of 80 mph (128 kph) or more at personal weather stations. More than 600,000 customers lost electricity in Illinois and Indiana, according to poweroutage.us. Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, and Will County, Illinois, south of Chicago, were especially hit hard.