Illinois sees flood warnings as snow melts, heavy rains fall

CHICAGO (AP) - Melting snow and heavy rains have prompted the National Weather Service to issue flood warnings for parts of northern Illinois and flood watches for central Illinois.

As much as 4 inches of rain fell overnight Monday into Tuesday in the Chicago area with forecasters expecting another 1 to 3 inches by Tuesday evening. Forecasters say heavy rain combined with melting snow and frozen ground conditions will lead to rising waters on area streams and rivers, creating the potential for flash flooding.

The fear of a rising Illinois River forced the evacuation late Tuesday of the LaSalle County Nursing Home in Ottawa.

A 52-year-old Bourbonnais woman was found dead Tuesday morning in a submerged car in Peotone, south of Chicago. Peotone Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Bruce Boyle says Stephanie Miller apparently lost control of her car on southbound Illinois Route 45 and ended up in a rain-filed ditch. Boyle says five vehicles hydroplaned off the road and into the same ditch.

Weather service officials urge motorists not to drive onto flooded roadways.