Heavy rain flooded a major Chicago freeway and triggered flash flood warnings across the suburbs, with impassable roads and rising water levels through the weekend.
Heavy rain over the Fourth of July weekend triggered widespread flash flooding across the Chicago area, closing a major interstate for hours and prompting flood warnings that stretched into this afternoon.
A freeway shut down by rising water
The Bishop Ford Freeway remained closed in both directions after several inches of rain fell in a short period Saturday afternoon, according to Illinois State Police. Rainwater collected near the Steel Bridge close to Beaubien Woods, forcing vehicles off the freeway in multiple directions as the water rose. Police diverted inbound traffic off at Sibley West and rerouted outbound lanes at 130th Street. Video from the scene showed cars driving through deep standing water as the storms moved through. No injuries were reported, and authorities had not given a timetable for when the freeway would reopen.
A weekend of flash flood warnings
The freeway closure came after a night of severe weather that dropped as much as six inches of rain in parts of the region. The National Weather Service issued an urgent flash flood warning Saturday evening covering Cook, DuPage and Kane counties, describing the flooding as dangerous and life threatening and urging residents to avoid travel altogether. Some Kane County residents received an imminent threat alert instructing them not to travel unless they were fleeing floodwater or under an evacuation order.
A subsequent warning extended coverage through 2 p.m. Today across Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties. By around 6:50 p.m. Saturday, officials said flooding was already significant in parts of the area, with several roads impassable and basements flooded in some homes. While the heaviest rainfall had ended by that point, forecasters warned that water levels would keep rising as runoff moved into area rivers and streams…