Heavy downpours bring floods, trap cars in suburbs
Heavy rains in a short time brought flooding throughout the suburbs, trapping cars and prompting a rescue by boat.
Exmoor Avenue flooded at Northwest Highway in Barrington, forcing the police department to rescue a passenger from a flooded vehicle and the fire department's rescue boat to save 10 people from a building on Exmoor, Assistant Chief Bruce Peterson of the Barrington Fire Department said.
The National Weather Service midafternoon issued a flood warning for Kane, McHenry, DuPage and northwestern Cook counties after rain began pouring down in isolated areas in the suburbs. It was to last until 9:45 p.m.
Flooding was reported in Barrington and Barrington Hills, Elgin, Schaumburg and Rolling Meadows, with cars seen trapped in high waters and roads closed.
ABC 7 reported at about 5:15 p.m. that Sleepy Hollow had received 3.67 inches of rain, Elgin 3.08, East Dundee 2.87, Aurora 1.86, Oswego 1.56, and Roselle 1.21. WGN-TV was reporting more than 5 inches in Barrington Hills.
At 5:05 p.m., the Elgin Fire Department was dispatched to a business in the 700 block of Tollgate Road for a possible roof fire. Crews arrived within four minutes of the call to find light smoke coming from the northwest corner of the building's roof.
Witnesses told the fire department they detected smoke coming from the roof shortly after seeing a flash of lightning. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes and no injuries were reported. Damage to the roof and front door is estimated at $10,000, according to the authorities.
People were advised not to drive on flooded roads and that excessive runoff from heavy rain is likely to cause flooding in small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets, underpasses and low-lying areas.
The FAA cautioned that departures at both O'Hare and Midway airports are experiencing delays. Passengers are advised to contact their carrier for exact time estimates. Arrivals are being delayed by about 15 minutes or less.
The National Weather Service reported that with Wednesday's rains, May 2018 officially became the wettest May on record in Chicago. The previous record was 7.59 inches in 1945. At 6:11 p.m., the May 2018 total had reached 7.65 inches, but that total was expected to be much higher once a new tally is posted overnight.