A series of powerful storms slammed the Chicago area Saturday, bringing fierce winds and major flooding that resulted in a number of street closures throughout the region.
Tornado watches and warnings were reported throughout the day, with funnel clouds even spotted in some communities, including Beecher and Crete, according to the National Weather Service. However, a tornado wasn’t confirmed on the ground, NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologists said.
Severe thunderstorms hit the region mainly in the afternoon and early evening hours, but could potentially last as late as 9 p.m., forecasters said.
A flash flood warning remained in effect until 9:45 p.m. for portions of Cook, Grundy, Kankakee and Will counties, as well as Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana. According to the NWS, between 1-and-a-half and 3 inches of rain fell in a short period of time during much of the area.
Flash flooding was expected to continue in the nighttime hours “due to runoff and streams being out of their banks.” Portions of the following area counties remained under a flash flood watch late Saturday: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Will, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall and LaSalle counties in Illinois, along with Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter counties in Indiana.
Following the extreme rainfall, a number of Chicago streets, including Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive, were covered by floodwaters of multiple inches. Rising floodwaters even forced a portion of the Eisenhower Expressway to be shut down for several hours. The interstate had fully reopened to traffic as of 6:45 p.m., according to the Illinois State Police.
While the chance for storms decreases Sunday, flooding will still be a concern, and could even cause issues lasting into early next week.
Mostly to partly cloudy conditions continue into Sunday, with scattered showers and isolated storms favoring areas south and in northwest Indiana. Those southern showers could turn severe, but stay outside Chicago, NBC 5 Storm Team meteorologists say.
Sunday through Wednesday, temperatures are expected to reach the low 80s, but cooler by the lakefront.
The work week starts partly sunny and seasonably warm on Monday, with a chance of showers and isolated storms again. The wet weather will likely continue throughout the week into next weekend.
from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/3gY83wb
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