Storms touch off flooding in western suburbs

Officials from the National Weather Service said up to three inches of rain is expected to fall before the rain stops falling in DuPage and Kane counties today. Less precipitation is expected in Cook and Lake counties, officials said.

Officials estimate up to 2½ inches of rainfall hit per hour before the storms moved east. A morning flood warning was issued.

Officials announced portions of Route 53 have been closed in Romeoville due to standing water, while most major highways are slowed due to the water.

The flood warning Tuesday comes in the wake of flooding that has bothered the area for the past three weeks. The added rain today could cause additional problems in the area that were heavily impacted last week.

Deciding it's better to be safe than sorry, the West Chicago Police Department canceled its National Night Out event set for tonight at Reed-Keppler Park.

While notice of the cancellation came at 11:15 a.m. after morning rains had cleared up police said weather forecasts for the 6 p.m. event time are poor.

"The predictions are that it's going to clear up this afternoon, then it's going to come in quite a bit stronger this evening," Sgt. Eric Shipman said. "With the amount of time it takes to set up and take down some of the activities, we decided it was better to err on the side of caution."

The annual event is scheduled in cities throughout the U.S., aiming to make connections between police and residents to promote safety.

Elisabeth Mistretta contributed to this report.