Flood warning along Des Plaines River
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning starting this evening for the Chicago area, centering on Cook and Lake counties.
According to forecasters, today at 4:45 a.m. the Des Plaines River in Des Plaines was at 4.3 feet above normal, nearly at the flood stage of 5 feet. At 5.5 feet, water reaches some backyards along Big Bend Drive.
With rain and thunderstorms in the forecast today, minor flooding in the Des Plaines area is possible, forecasters said. Current predictions have the river cresting Tuesday morning at 5.6 feet.
Further south in Riverside, the Des Plaines River also is expected to approach flood stage, with water likely in the forest preserve areas by Tuesday morning. To the north, the National Weather Service also has added the Gurnee area to the Des Plaines River flood watch.
The forecast for today starts mild, with highs in the 70s. Rain moves into the area this afternoon, and with it, intermittent thunderstorms which continue until early Tuesday morning. Gusts of wind will top out at 38 MPH.
The high today will be 71, with evening lows near 40. Tuesday, the high will be 54 with a low of 32 in the evening.
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