Video of storm that pounded Chicago, Elmhurst, Westchester and other western suburbs especially hard Friday, as viewed from Payton Hill in Arlington Heights.
After a steamy hot day with a near record high of 95°F in Westchester, Illinois, storms developed about 10:00 p.m. Friday. A line of storms developed from just south of O’Hare International Airport, over Elmhurst and Westchester as part of an established development of storms in a line all the way to Waterloo, Iowa. Lightning was continuous and severe with the storms that gradually drifted northward. The northwest suburbs were also hit, but most severe weather occurred in the western suburbs near O’Hare. At 11:10 a.m. O’Hare was reporting 6.17 inches of rain for the previous 24 hours ending between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. About 3 inches of rain were reported near the Lake County – Cook County border (data is provisional from National Weather Service).
Street flooding video.
Westchester apparently has suffered the worst from the storms overnight with heavy flooding reported in several areas. Westchester Fire Department called for help from all area fire departments for swift water rescue teams. Westchester is located just south of I-290 and just east of I-294. There was early report of a nursing home that is being evacuated because of an overflowing water reservoir in Hillside. Victims were rescued in Zodiac boats. Multiple patients that had been evacuated to a bus are also requiring another rescue. The water rescue incident in Westchester was a third-alarm inter-divisional box by 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
A state of emergency was declared in Westchester Saturday afternoon by Village President Sam Pulia.
Report from Westchester resident.
Fire departments from Addison, Evanston, Naperville, Oak Brook, Palatine, Rosemont, South Elgin, Warrenville, West Chicago and others responded with divers and/or boats.
Palatine Fire Department divers responded to Elmhurst for an evacuation/water rescue at Elmhurst hospital that was resolved quickly. At about 11:30 p.m. Friday, water levels reached the tops of vehicles stranded at the Robert T. Palmer Drive underpass to the railroad tracks. People were seen swimming and wading from their flooded vehicles.
Numerous underpasses and viaducts are flooded in Chicago, Schiller Park and other suburbs. Areas in Chicago have viaducts up to 4 to 8 feet deep with flooding. Cars were stranded in numerous locations.
City of Chicago Alerts — July 24, 2010
IDOT has closed the Eisenhower EXPY due to flooding, Halsted East to the City
Limits — 6:40 a.m.IDOT has closed the Eisenhower EXPY due to flooding, Halsted west to the City
Limits — 6:46 a.m.IDOT has closed the entire Eisenhower EXPY EB & WB due to flooding — 6:52 a.m.
IDOT has closed the Kennedy EXPY, Inbound at Ogden — 6:57 a.m.
The Eisenhower Expressway was closed in both directions Saturday morning. As of 11:30 a.m., the Eisenhower Expressway was closed westbound between the Circle (I-90/94 interchange) and Mannheim and eastbound lanes were closed from Sacramento to Damen.
Interstate 290 was closed earlier Saturday between Mannheim Road and 25th Avenue with standing water slowing traffic around Western Avenue. Westbound I-290 was opened just before 4:00 p.m. Eastbound 290 was not open as of 4:30 p.m.
Flooding on I-290 at York Road also caused ramp closures at Lake Street, North Avenue and northbound Route 83 at eastbound I-290. Eisenhower Expressway between Mannheim Road and 25th Avenue, and standing water in both directions at Western Avenue.
The Dan Ryan expressway had flooding in both directions between 83rd and 87th Streets.
Flooding reports at these streets and intersections (sampling, not all-inclusive): Boeger and Windsor, Westchester; 47th and St. Charles Rd, Westchester; Roosevelt Road west of Mannheim; I-290 at York Road; 4300 W. Belmont, Chicago.
A tree that fell on a house on Evergreen Avenue between St. James and Fremont caused a road closure Saturday while a Gatwood crane operator and a crew from ‘the care of trees’ removed the tree. The tree fell yesterday about 2:30 p.m. before last night’s storms. The tree fell on the roof and doorway of the two-story house. One heavy branch hit the path where a resident had just crossed two minutes prior.
A tree fell during the storm on a house in the 100 block of South Reuter.
Algonquin Road is closed between Busse and Linneman in Mount Prospect.
Developing …
Video of storm developing …
Great first video capturing lightning! I don’t think I would take a chance standing on that hill during that kind of electricity hitting the air!