Local Severe Weather Alert for Arlington Heights, IL (60004) below …
Arlington Heights has 8 inches of ice-crusted snow pack at 9:15 a.m.
Friday.
Current Observations:
Temperature: 33 F
Wind: SE 12 MPH
/O.CON.KLOT.FF.A.0007.081227T0600Z-081228T0600Z/ /00000.0.IC.
000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-
LAKE IL-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-DUPAGE-COOK- LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-
WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON-IROQUOIS-FORD- LAKE IN-PORTER-NEWTON-JASPER-
BENTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…ROCKFORD…WOODSTOCK…WAUKEGAN…
OREGON…DIXON…DEKALB…AURORA…CHICAGO…OTTAWA…OSWEGO…
MORRIS…JOLIET…KANKAKEE…PONTIAC…WATSEKA…PAXTON…GARY…
VALPARAISO…MOROCCO…RENSSELAER…FOWLER 634 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2008 /734
AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008/
…FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH
SATURDAY EVENING…
THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR
* PORTIONS OF ILLINOIS AND INDIANA…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING
AREAS…IN ILLINOIS…BOONE…COOK…DE KALB…DUPAGE…FORD…
GRUNDY…IROQUOIS…KANE…KANKAKEE…KENDALL…LA SALLE… LAKE
IL…LEE…LIVINGSTON…MCHENRY…OGLE…WILL AND WINNEBAGO. IN
INDIANA…BENTON…JASPER…LAKE IN…NEWTON AND PORTER.
* FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING
* WIDESPREAD…AND POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. RAIN AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS
WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTALS OF ONE AND A HALF TO THREE
INCHES FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT…WITH LOCALIZED RAINFALL
TOTALS IN EXCESS OF THREE INCHES POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY
RAIN…TEMPERATURES WARMING WELL ABOVE FREEZING WILL CAUSE EXISTING
SNOW AND ICE COVER TO RAPIDLY MELT WHICH WILL INCREASE RUN OFF…WHICH
WILL ALREADY BE VERY HIGH DUE TO THE FROZEN GROUND. ALSO…THE BITTER
COLD TEMPERATURES OF THE PAST WEEK HAVE CAUSED ICE TO FORM ON MANY
RIVERS…THIS ICE WILL LIKELY BECOME DISLODGED AS TEMPERATURES RISE
ABOVE FREEZING AND STREAM FLOW INCREASES. THIS WILL RESULT IN A HIGHER
CHANCE OF LOCALIZED FLOODING DUE TO ICE JAMS. FINALLY…MANY DRAINAGE
SYSTEMS ARE CURRENTLY BLOCKED BY SNOW AND ICE COVER…SO AS HEAVY RAIN
FALLS FLOODING WILL LIKELY DEVELOP EVEN IN URBANIZED AREAS THAT DO
NOT FLOOD OFTEN.
* IF CURRENT FORECAST RAINFALL AMOUNTS OCCUR AS EXPECTED THEN
WIDESPREAD AND SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF CREEKS…STREAMS…AND LOW
LYING AREAS WILL OCCUR. IN ADDITION…MANY OF THE LARGER MAIN STEM
RIVERS WILL GO INTO FLOOD. GIVEN THE FORECAST MAGNITUDE OF THE
UPCOMING SNOW MELT AND HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT… MAJOR FLOODING AND NEAR
RECORD CRESTS MAY OCCUR ON SOME OF THE LARGER MAIN STEM
RIVERS…INCLUDING THE DES PLAINES… KANKAKEE…VERMILLION…LITTLE
CALUMET…IROQUOIS…AND ILLINOIS.
THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR VERY SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING
FLOODING TO DEVELOP THIS WEEKEND…WITH SOME AREAS THAT TYPICALLY DO
NOT FLOOD POSSIBLY EVEN BECOMING INUNDATED WITH WATER. PEOPLE LIVING
IN FLOOD PRONE AND LOW LYING AREAS SHOULD PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO
LATER FORECASTS AND WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND BE
PREPARED TO EVACUATE TO HIGHER GROUND ON SHORT NOTICE. EVERYONE IN AND
NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION SHOULD
FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.
PEOPLE PLANNING TO TRAVEL THIS WEEKEND SHOULD ALSO MONITOR FORECASTS
CLOSELY…AS FLOODING COULD POTENTIALLY IMPACT ROADS MAKING TRAVEL
DIFFICULT.