Flood warning issued for Cook County as rain continues

Cook County is under a flood warning until Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

One to three inches of rain fell across the Chicago metro area Saturday night into Sunday morning, according to the weather service. The warning was extended through Monday morning at 10 a.m.

A hazardous weather outlook remained in effect for much of northeastern Illinois and northwest Indiana on Sunday, with flood warnings initially just in small pockets across the area ending at 3 p.m. Sunday, according to the weather service.

The Illinois towns listed as being at a heightened risk of flooding were Richton Park, Sauk Village, Flossmoor, Lynwood, Glenwood, Crete, University Park, Olympia Fields, Ford Heights and South Chicago Heights. Chicago’s South Side was also slated to see more rain, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Kluber.

Officials warned residents to beware of flooding specifically near the Little Calumet River, as well as near creeks, streams and low-lying areas. The weather service also predicted moderately dangerous swimming conditions at Illinois beaches as a result of the storms, with Indiana beaches being at a heightened risk.

“The rain falling this morning isn’t quite as heavy as what we saw overnight,” Kluber said Sunday morning. “Flooding isn’t expected as a concern over the next couple days, and what we’re seeing now should be receding.”

The rainy conditions comes on the heels of storms last week that brought 11 tornados to the area, including at least two EF-3 tornadoes far southeast of the Chicago metro area, according to the weather service. An EF-3 tornado that hit Kankakee in March killed one person and destroyed 30 homes and 500 buildings.

Officials continue to assess the damage and could add more tornadoes to the final count, as damage surveys are still being conducted, Kluber said. Further reports are expected within a few days.

Those storms also brought significant rain with them, saturating the ground and increasing the risk for flooding. Some areas southeast of Rockford saw between four and six inches of rain, though most of the Chicago area saw one to three inches of rain.

“Adding that [rain] on top of Thursday, we’re definitely seeing a lot of standing water, the creeks are all swollen,” Kluber said.

Storms that began Wedneday left 290,000 people without power as high winds — 78 mph gusts were recorded in the Lakeview neighborhood, while Midway and Hyde Park both saw more than 70 mph winds — brought down trees across the city.

More showers, and potentially thunderstorms, are expected Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, though temperatures are slated to stay just shy of 80 for the rest of the week. Wednesday is likely to see stronger storms.

“Temps will start to creep back up over the next several days, [but] it doesn’t look like there will be any oppressive heat,” Kluber said.

“At this point, it seems the greatest risk will stay south of the Chicago metro area,” Kluber said, referring to possible thunderstorms on Wednesday.