Science & Nature
Flash Flood Hits Chicago, Localized Storm Dumps 5 Inches of Rain in 2 Hours on City’s West Side
A storm is pictured in a file photo. (Thomas Campone / iStock)
A highly localized torrential downpour dumped more than 5 inches of rain on areas of Chicago in less than two hours Tuesday night, leading to flooded viaducts, turning alleys into rushing rivers and shutting down lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning at 9:46 p.m. Tuesday night for Chicago and Cicero and the situation quickly escalated.
West Side neighborhoods including Austin and Garfield Park were among the hardest hit. One rain gauge recorded what the National Weather Service called a “staggeringly high rate” of 5.12 inches of rain falling between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Local lanes of the Dan Ryan were closed between 18th and 31st streets, and Chicago's 911 operators fielded calls of submerged cars and water rescues.
Meanwhile, Chicago's official weather station at O'Hare Airport recorded .07 inches of rain.
(National Weather Service Chicago)
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