CHICAGO (WLS) — Flooding could impact much of the Chicago area Sunday as heavy rain moves through, the National Weather Service said.
A Flood Watch is in effect for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, Will, Boone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Ogle and Winnebago counties until 4 a.m. Monday.
A Beach Hazards Statement is also in effect for much of the Chicago area until 9 p.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
Waves up to 6 feet and dangerous currents are expected at Lake Michigan beaches in Lake and northern and central Cook counties in Illinois, NWS said.
Swimming conditions will be life-threatening, especially for inexperienced swimmers, NWS said. Remain out of the water to avoid dangerous swimming conditions and do not venture out onto piers, jetties, break walls or other shoreline structures.
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Irving Park and Ravenswood saw a lot of flooding Sunday.
A picture from the area shows the floodwater blocking some people from getting to the nearby train.
The heavy rain, also impacting other areas in and around the city.
In Melrose Park, you can see cars were stuck in high water. In fact, a man was seen carrying a dog through the floodwater, leading them both to safety.
Several car were also stranded cars near Irving Park Road and Cicero.
The torrential rain is also a headache for homeowners who are having to clean up after their basements flooded.
“Lovely morning here,” joked homeowner Scott Surma. “We get all the rain in the deluge. It was six to eight inches out in the streets and you get it in the sewers, and that’s because they put the stoppers in the main sewer, so it backs up into the homeowners’ sewer. You have eight inches of water, and this is a lovely thing to work with, especially on a Sunday for the Bears’ opening game. I’d rather be watching the Bears than this lovely cleaning.”
Rain will be heaviest in the north, said ABC7 Chicago Meteorologist Greg Dutra. Most of the area will catch between 0.5 and 1 inch of rain, but some models are calling for more. A few more showers are expected Monday with cool temperatures.
Chicago’s non-emergency service said it has been receiving a high volume of calls due to Sunday morning’s heavy rain. Residents and motorists can visit 311.chicago.gov to report water in their basement, standing water on their street, tree debris, flood viaducts and any traffic light outage. Residents are also encouraged to download the CHI 311 app in the App Store or Google Play to make 311 reports.
The city released a list of tips for preventing floods. Officials said residents should avoid running a dishwasher or washing machine during storms. They also said to disconnect downspout connections from the sewer system and direct flow to areas with permeable surfaces that can properly absorb the stormwater, or use rain barrels to collect the rain directly from the downspouts.
City officials also recommended installing rain gardens, green landscaping or storm water trees in yards to help retain rainwater and resurfacing driveways, parking pads or patios with permeable pavements. They warned residents not to dump fats, oils and greases in private drains or public catch basins.
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