It's official: This is our rainiest May on record
This is now our rainiest May on record.
The 8.25 inches recorded at O'Hare International Airport as of 7 a.m. Thursday topped the previous record of 8.21 inches set last year, according to the National Weather Service.
With predictions of isolated storms and one more day remaining in the month, the total could rise even higher, meteorologist Amy Seeley said.
The region reached a new high-water mark for May during a month that has seen measurable rain on 20 days. Last year, even as rain topped the previous record of 7.59 inches set in May 1945, Seeley said measurable amounts fell on only 11 days.
This month's rain - some of it coming in gusty thunderstorms with hail - has caused flooding on low-lying streets across the region as well as damage to trees and property in hard-hit areas. And it has contributed to the second-wettest spring since records first were kept in 1871, with 16.36 inches of rain recorded this season, Seeley said. The wettest spring came in 1983, when 17.51 inches fell.
The high volume of water has led to a fast-moving Fox River - too fast for the annual canoe and kayak race that was canceled before it could take place June 2 in Aurora, and too fast for regular boating on the Chain O' Lakes in Lake and McHenry counties. The Fox Waterway Agency has issued a slow-no-wake order for the chain and the upper Fox River, while the lower Fox River is closed.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources now predicts up to .75 inches of rain will fall across the watershed during the next 72 hours, making the Fox River in Algonquin likely to crest Friday and Fox Lake likely to crest Sunday.
Too much rain also has hindered sweet-corn farming at Wiltse's Farm Produce in Maple Park, which sells crops at the Aurora Farmers Market as well as Hy-Vee in Sycamore and Woodman's Market in North Aurora.
Patty Marco, who owns Wiltse's Farm with her sister Kate Wiltse and brother Joe Wiltse, said the family has been planting sweet corn whenever possible this month on the fields with the best drainage, but frequent rainfall, cloudy conditions and cold, wet soil have made the process difficult. Marco estimates the first crop of Wiltse's corn may come in at least two weeks later than usual and that seed rotting, reduced germination and reduced sprouting could lead to smaller yields.
Waterlogged parks and fields across the suburbs have caused sporting cancellations from the park district level to the pros, and anyone with a lawn has struggled to find a dry moment to mow it.
In Naperville, for example, the park district has recorded nearly 11 inches of rain since April 29, said Kevin Finnegan, director of parks. Sports leagues that typically play one game a week now are trying to cram in three or four to make up for previous rainouts, and many parks are holding water or growing tall grasses.
"We simply cannot get in there and our mowers will just sink into the mud," Finnegan said.
The National Weather Service's Seeley said the region has been stuck in a wet weather pattern, leading to the record rainfall. The weather service plans further analysis to determine the reasons for the precipitation pattern, she said.
• Daily Herald staff writer Susan Sarkauskas contributed to this report.