The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning until 2:45 p.m. for Elgin, Arlington Heights and Evanston. Another flash food warning is in effect until 4:15 p.m. for Chicago, Aurora and Naperville. The weather service warned people to avoid walking or driving through flood waters, and to move immediately to higher ground.
More storms, including lightning and 40 mph winds, were expected to move through the Chicago area and add one to two inches of rain Wednesday, according to the weather service.
At the height of the storms, more than 51,000 ComEd customers lost power, according to a ComEd spokesman. As of 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, 28,000 customers remain without power, most in the northern suburbs. Crews are working to get power restored as soon as it is safe to do so.
At least 435 flights had been canceled at O’Hare as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, and flight delays were averaging 45 minutes, according to the city’s Dept. of Aviation. At Midway, 18 flights been canceled and delays were averaging 23 minutes.
By early Wednesday afternoon, up to 6.5 inches of rain had fallen across parts of Lake County, resulting in significant flooding that made several roads impassible. Many water storage areas are full or over capacity, and additional rains will continue to cause problems, and the Fox and Des Plaines rivers are projected to be at upper moderate flood levels.
Standing water had closed several roads in Libertyville as of 6:25 a.m., including U.S. 45 between Peterson and Casey roads, and Buckley Road between Milwaukee Avenue and St. Mary’s Road, according to Libertyville Fire Chief Rich Carani.
At least seven vehicles were stuck in high water, but all of the occupants were removed safely, Carani said.
The flooding also closed Lake Street between Maple Avenue and Division Street in Mundelein, the Mundelein Police Department reported.
As of 7 a.m., Metra trains in both directions on the Milwaukee District North Line were suspended between Fox Lake and Libertyville because of the flooding, according to Metra. Minimal shuttle service was available between Lake Forest and Chicago and, although the CTA was honoring commuters on the Blue Line, customers were urged to seek alternate transportation.
A downed tree blocked the tracks just west of Libertyville, interlocking flooded at Rondout and a washout was reported near Route 120. The tree has since been removed.
Once the water recedes, Metra will have to inspect the interlocking and may have to replace switches, according to spokesman Michael Gillis. Metra is also sending ballast cars and machinery to the location of the washout to lay a new track structure.
On the Union Pacific North Line, inbound and outbound trains were experiencing extensive delays due to flooding problems.
As of Wednesday morning, it was unclear what Metra’s plans were for the evening rush hour, Gillis said.
Flooding in Lake County and Kenosha County, Wisconsin, also led to an Amtrak track closure, affecting Hiawatha Service trains between Chicago and Milwaukee as of 7:45 a.m., according to a statement from Amtrak. No alternate transportation was made available during the service suspension.
High winds from the storms overnight knocked down trees and power lines, causing power outages in northwest suburban Elgin, the city said in a statement. The area between the Grand Victoria Casino and Liberty Street was affected by power outages, as was the area between Wilcox Avenue and Liberty south of Walnut Avenue.
While rain was still falling, a total of 5.4 inches of rain had been reported near Gurnee as of 6 a.m., according to the weather service. Lake Villa saw 5.31 inches, while there were 4.29 inches near Elgin and 4.2 near Lindenhurst.
There is a slight chance of more showers and thunderstorms after 5 p.m. Wednesday, then again after 1 a.m. Thursday, forecasters said.
