NWS Issues Flood Watch for Northeastern Illinois and Northwest Indiana
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for portions of Illinois and northwest Indiana from Saturday morning through Saturday afternoon. Excessive rainfall from heavy thunderstorms may lead to flash flooding in the region.
The National Weather Service in Chicago issued the Flood Watch at 9:49 PM CDT on September 18, with the alert effective from 4:00 AM CDT on Saturday through 1:00 PM CDT Saturday afternoon. The affected area includes Central Cook, De Kalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, Lee, Northern Cook, Northern Will, and Southern Cook in Illinois, as well as Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana.
Showers and thunderstorms late Friday night into Saturday morning are expected to bring widespread rainfall rates up to 2 inches per hour. These heavy rain rates could trigger flash flooding, with the highest risk occurring over urban areas and locations with poor drainage.
Anticipated impacts include creeks and streams rising out of their banks, as well as water pooling on roadways and streets. Additional thunderstorms developing Saturday evening into early Sunday morning could produce further torrential rainfall, and NWS forecasters indicated a second Flood Watch may be required for that period.
A Flood Watch means that rapid-onset flash flooding is possible based on current forecasts. Persons living near waterways or traveling in the affected counties are advised to monitor weather conditions closely.