Where floods are still happening in Lake County, Fox Valley
Wednesday was calmer and drier after the previous night's torrential downpours that flooded some suburban communities and swelled the Des Plaines and Fox rivers.
Thunderstorms dumped 2 to 4 inches of rain and caused tornadoes in Kane County and South suburban Manhattan in Will County. The flooding comes as the Chicago area already has been dealing with record amounts of rainfall since May.
Suburban towns with the most rain included Algonquin with 4.3 inches, Cary with 4 inches, Lake in the Hills with 3.7 inches, Mundelein with 3.6 inches and Elgin with 3 inches.
Flooding on the rivers
A flood warning for communities along the Des Plaines and Fox rivers is in effect until Saturday morning.
The Fox nearly reached major flooding levels of 12 feet near Algonquin overnight but since decreased and will continue falling throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service.
"We got quite a bit of water in a short time," Assistant Village Administrator Michael Kumbera said. "It made the Fox River jump quite a bit."
Crews filled sandbags Tuesday night and placed them at designated drop zones in neighborhoods near the Fox River, Kumbera said. Sandbags will be distributed as requested.
In St. Charles, the river overflowed its banks and reached powerful flows.
“>We understand people are captivated by the power of the river and seeing flooded areas underwater," Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet said in a news release. "But the river at this stage is extremely dangerous. Never enter floodwater, no matter how shallow it seems."
Water levels on the Des Plaines River swelled overnight near Gurnee. The National Weather Service reported that flood levels reached 9.53 feet by 6 p.m. Wednesday and could be approaching some homes in Gurnee. Projections showed the floodwaters will rise slightly until Thursday morning before diminishing.
In Des Plaines, the river reached 16 feet by 6 p.m. Wednesday, above the 15-foot minor flood stage. At 15.5 feet, water reaches some backyards along Big Bend Drive, an area that commonly floods in the city.
Park, road closures
In Algonquin, Cornish, Towne and Holder Memorial parks were closed Wednesday. Algonquin officials closed several local streets because of water on the pavement, including parts of Cumberland Parkway, Woods Creek Lane, Glacier Parkway, Applewood Lane and Teton Parkway. A blocked stormwater sewer caused the flooding, officials said.
Floodwaters on Route 137 between Atkinson Road and Casey Road in Grayslake caused lengthy delays, Lake County officials said.
Route 72 was closed at State Street in Hampshire after an adjacent creek swelled over its banks into the parking lot of the Chick 'N Dip restaurant. The road flooded early Wednesday morning. Highland, High and Panama avenues, as well as Ralph Seyller Memorial Park in the village all flooded, Village President Jeff Magnussen said.
Wauconda's Bangs Lake is closed to all watercraft. The water level was 13 inches above average early Wednesday and expected to rise, officials said on Facebook.
In Lincolnshire, a section of Londonderry Lane is closed near Lincolnshire Drive because of flooding from the Des Plaines River. Public works crews are using water pumps to keep some intersections in that area passable. The river's water level has exceeded 13 feet, well above the safe threshold of 11.5 feet, and is expected to crest at nearly 14 feet by dawn Thursday.
On Division Street at Route 45 in Mundelein, pockets of flooding caused the pavement to buckle, officials said. But problems were nowhere near as extensive as last July, Police Chief Eric Guenther said.
Tornado warnings
A tornado was reported to have touched down southeast of Maple Park in Kane County. Video showed the tornado kicking up water in a field for a few seconds, but no damage occurred, the weather service said.
Officials in Manhattan said the downtown area was damaged by a funnel cloud Tuesday evening.
The service said trained spotters reported multiple touchdowns in the area.
Through the weekend
The rain cleared out Wednesday and temperatures are expected to climb into the 90s starting Friday.
• Daily Herald staff writers Lauren Rohr, Russell Lissau and Mick Zawislak contributed to this report.
Tuesday rainfall
The top 10 rainfall totals, in inches, for suburban towns.
Algonquin: 4.26
Cary: 3.99
Lake in the Hills: 3.71
Waukegan: 3.60
Bull Valley: 3.57
Mundelein: 3.55
Gurnee: 3.14
Elgin: 3
Winthrop Harbor: 3
Highwood: 3
SOURCE: National Weather Service