'Ring of fire' caused suburbs to get all this rain

The same weather pattern that finds Tropical Storm Don bearing down on Texas is likewise responsible for the spate of brief, but nasty, storms that hit the suburbs this week.

Meteorologists call it a “ring of fire” pattern, and it occurs when a high-pressure system lingers in the southeast U.S. Heavy storms then ride along the edges of that slow-moving or stationary system.

“It does not allow for very conducive flow across the United States,” Rose Sengenberger of the National Weather Service said Friday.

The storms, which put much of northern Illinois under a tornado watch overnight Thursday, dropped 1.4 inches at O'Hare International Airport, bringing the month's total to a record-breaking 11.15 inches.

In DuPage County, the latest round of storms knocked out power once again in some areas of Wheaton and came on the heels of a storm that caused Carol Stream and Glendale Heights officials to declare their towns disaster areas on Thursday. The repeated battering has frustrated officials.

“Every time we just get things where we start to figure out our plan, we get hit again and have to start all over again,” said Carol Stream Village President Frank Saverino.

He said the disaster declaration led to the county instructing public works crews from 11 communities to Carol Stream to help with the cleanup.

Some of the more-heavily damaged areas are in the same neighborhood where last year's flood response angered residents. The neighborhood, south of Armstrong Park, seems to get hit whenever a disaster occurs, Saverino said.

“Living in that area is like living in Beirut,” he said. “If something bad happens, it seems that it always happens there.”

The rainfall took a prodigious turn late in the month. O'Hare has received 10.7 inches of rain in the past eight days after a relatively dry first three weeks of July.

Meanwhile in Wheaton, DuPage County Fair organizers say the flurry of storms wreaked havoc with some of its activities even before Thursday night. On Friday, fair President Jim McGuire said the fair's horse arena had flooded over and they would have to build a new one.

Meanwhile, many cast their wary eyes on the swollen Des Plaines River, which already is at flood stage in Gurnee and peaked Friday afternoon.

In Gurnee, officials continue to monitor the river level. While the river generally spills over its banks at about 7 feet, serious roadway access problems along Emerald Avenue and Kilbourne Road, which are just east of Route 21 and Grand Avenue, often don't occur until 9 feet. Nearby buildings also become affected when the water reaches 9 feet.

And in Des Plaines, the river also exceeded forecast totals, though it was predicted to crest about six inches below flood stage.

ComEd officials said of the 55,800 customers affected, 3,300 remained without power as of 10 p.m. Friday.

The most recent rainfall pushed this July into the No. 7 spot on the list of wettest months in Chicago history. The wettest month occurred in August 1987, when 17.1 inches of rain were recorded, according to the National Weather Service.

Staff writer Megan Bannister contributed to this report.

Heaviest rains

Most rainfall in July

<B>1. 2011 ... 11.15”

</B>2. 1889 ... 9.56”

3. 1957 ... 8.98”

4. 2010 ... 8.84”

5. 1982 ... 8.33”

Most rainfall, any month

1. August, 1987 ... 17.10”

2. September, 1961 ... 14.17”

3. September, 2008 ... 13.63”

4. August, 2001 ... 12.25”

<B>7. July, 2011 .. 11.15”</B>