Day of rain leaves river surging, roads flooded
A day full of showers and thunderstorms culminated in significant flooding Sunday evening as rain overflowed the Chicago River and rendered some local roadways impassable.
Nearly three inches of rain had fallen by 11 p.m. Sunday, and though the worst of the storms had passed, a flood warning remained in effect until 1 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service said.
“The water is only going to continue to rise even after the rain stops because the ground is so heavily saturated — the water has nowhere to go,” weather service meteorologist Matt Friedlein said.
The Chicago River could be seen spilling over its banks Sunday evening, submerging the Riverwalk in some spots, and meteorologists expect the water levels to continue rising.
The river was in a “rapid-rise state” Sunday evening, according to Friedlein.
In response to the flooding, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District announced it had reversed the flow of the river to Lake Michigan at both the Wilmette Pumping Station and Chicago River Controlling Works near the lake.
The flooding also caused the CTA to suspend Blue Line service between the Forest Park and Harlem stations on the Forest Park branch, according to the transit authority, which announced the service disruption about 7:45 p.m. The Red Line was suspended between the Garfield and 95th Street stations about 9:20 p.m. for “debris on the tracks.”
The newest round of showers and thunderstorms followed a record-setting rain leading into the weekend.
Friedlein encouraged residents to stay home, saying that flooded roads after dark were “a bad combination.”
Major flooding was reported on roadways across the Chicago area, and the Chicago Fire Department had to relocate homeless people from a flooded Lower Wacker Drive.
Illinois State Police said Interstate 290 was shut down at Des Plaines Avenue and Interstate 94 was closed at Pratt Avenue due to the deluge.
The Cook County Department of Transportation said that six inches of water could cause a loss of control or stall many vehicles, while a foot of water may cause some vehicles to float. Two feet of water will sweep away most vehicles, the Department of Transportation said.
The rain is expected to continue until Tuesday, with temperatures hovering in the 50s, the weather service said.