Thunderstorms exacerbate flooding in northern Illinois

ALGONQUIN, Ill. (AP) - Severe thunderstorms that brought heavy rain, hail and strong winds to northern Illinois have exacerbated recent flooding in some areas.

The storms moved through Sunday, causing the already-swollen Fox River to rise again after it had previously started receding. Flooding started earlier this month, prompting state disaster declarations. And, organizers of the Founders' Days Festivals, scheduled to begin Thursday, said that flooding along the Fox River forced them to cancel the event for the first time in its 57-year history.

"It's upsetting, but that's what's best for the community at this point," said Founders' Days Festival board member Sue Bazdor, who also suggested to the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald that holding the festival would put a strain on the village's police force, fire department and public works department, who are already stretch thin responding to the flooding in the region.

In Crystal Lake, the afternoon storm sent children and their parents attending a baseball tournament running to their cars to protect them from the pelting rain and hail, winds strong enough to shake the vehicles, until it passed several minutes later. When they drove off, they had to maneuver around large branches and whole trees that topped over during the storm.

Diana Wood told WLS-TV more water crept into the basement of the Algonquin home that she's been moving out of, with it rising Sunday to knee level after earlier being ankle-deep.

Over the weekend, the city of St. Charles closed the Illinois Street Bridge and the Indiana Street Pedestrian Bridge due to the rising Fox River. The city says the bridges could be closed until midweek.

Flooding continued along portions of the Des Plaines river, with levels expected to recede this week.