Sunday afternoon Chicago storms cause flooding, leave some roads impassable in west suburbs
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A storm system that passed through the Chicago area Sunday afternoon may have been small, but it caused downpours that brought big flooding to parts of the Chicago area.
The afternoon rain caused problems in particular in the west Chicago suburb of Elmhurst. Some drivers tried their luck in high water, while other roadways were impassable. The area is prone to flooding, but the flooding it experienced was serious.
The water measured in feet as drivers took the big risk to cross North Avenue near I-290. The muddy rainwaters reached the tops of their tires.
In other areas, trying to drive across flooded roads was not an option.
The Robert T. Palmer Drive underpass, named for the first city manager of Elmhurst, was still closed Sunday night due to flooding — several hours after the rain stopped.
"I can't believe it. I've never seen it this flooded before," said Eileen Page. "It's so crazy."
Page and her family were among the people checking out the residual floodwater after the heavy rain in Elmhurst. Some of the water was so high that it turned parking lots into lakes.
Debris lines marked how high the water got in residential neighborhoods, while flashing red lights tried to slow the traffic on busy streets.
It was an effort to keep people moving safely.
"We were driving right as the rain started, and the streets were flooded really quickly, so I figured it would be flooded — but not this badly," Page said.
But not everyone was so surprised.
"It's not that bad," said 8-year-old Charlie Fry. "We've had worse."
Charlie has lived near the flooded Robert T. Palmer Drive underpass for nearly a year. He watched Sunday as the waters rose again.
"It was really hard, and then all of this got flooded —even the underpass and all of the streets," said the young veteran of Elmhurst flooding.
On Sunday evening, he was sweeping debris, clearing a path until the next storm.
"A ton of mulch came on the sidewalks, so we were just brushing it to the sides," Charlie said.
Flooding was also seen in numerous other areas, including Elgin and Oak Lawn.
Meanwhile, people also had to run for shelter as heavy rain fell at the DuPage County Fair Sunday afternoon.
The Federal Aviation Administration also said there was a ground stop at O'Hare due to thunderstorms late in the afternoon. The ground stop has since been lifted.
As the system advanced, flood advisories were issued for parts of the area. The system that prompted the advisories also involved 50 mph wind gusts and cloud-to-ground lightning.
The system that prompted the advisories also involved 50 mph wind gusts and cloud-to-ground lightning.
On Sunday evening, chances for isolated storms remain as the hot and unstable air creates a few stalled out cells.
Those cells can and will produce heavy rains which could lead to localized flooding. Along with damaging wind gusts.
For Sunday night, lows will stay in the middle 70s and it'll still be humid. Any storms that develop overnight into Monday morning may hinder our heat indices Monday afternoon.
