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Last night, Chicago fell victim to dangerous levels of rain, with flash flood warnings in effect through most of the night. Some parts of the city did experience flooding, leaving drivers trapped in the West Side. The National Weather Service reported that the storm hit the city quickly, with areas reaching two to five inches of rain. One weather station reportedly measured 5.14 inches of rain in just 90 minutes. Because of the speed of the storm, many were stuck on the road, unable to avoid the flooded areas.
One underpass on the West Side of the city became extremely flooded.
The underpass experienced some of the worst flooding in the city. The water ran waist-deep, trapping many in their cars. One man spoke with a local news station describing his experience as bad and heavy, having been stuck at the end of the underpass. He, like many drivers, heard of the flash flood warning but was unable to react due to his location on the road. A few drivers managed to get through the flooded underpass while others were merely stuck. One accident was reported.
Thus far, no news has come out about serious injuries.
The flooding comes after Texas experienced a devasting flood, leaving many dead and many still missing. As the rain fell hard and quickly in Chicago, many became worried that the city would experience a similar fate. So far, only news of damaged cars have been confirmed as a result of the flood. Some people were reportedly water rescued as well.
When the rain started, the National Weather Service quickly reacted.
Around 10 p.m. a warning was issued to avoid travel unless the travel was to flee the flooded streets. Based on how the rain was coming down, the situation was quickly deemed a “dangerous and life-threatening situation.”
Overnight the raining subsided, and flooding eased up.
Due to the heavy rain, a number of events were postponed. The Department of Transportation for the state of Illinois announced that work that was planned to be done for the Kennedy Expressway rehabilitation project had to be delayed. The work was scheduled for Tuesday night and has instead been pushed back to tonight. The White Sox and Blue Jays game was cut short after only 7 innings due to the rain. Lastly, a Teddy Swims concert had to be evacuated and postponed as the heavy rain came in.
