Heavy rain in Chicago, April 2013

[MineralMan]

Source: Breakingnews.com

Massive rains created on Thursday, April 18, widespread flash flooding all across the Chicago area, closing expressways and submerging numerous streets and viaducts.

Read more: http://www.breakingnews.com/topic/heavy-rain-in-chicago-april-2013

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The page at the link summarizes a number of stories regarding this flash flooding in the Chicago area.

More info at: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/04/18/massive-rains-leads-to-widespread-flooding-delays/

[magic59]

2. In MI we are about 8" above the months normal

and we are only half way through the month. Worst I have ever seen it here. We now have lake front property.

[MineralMan]

3. Yes. This series of severe storms is affecting the entire midwest.

It's been very destructive, and that will continue today, throughout the region.

[bullwinkle428]

4. All over the place. I live in eastern Iowa along the Miss. river, and it is rising QUICKLY.

[MineralMan]

5. They're predicting serious flooding in the Red River in MN, too.

It's snowing like crazy in northern Minnesota, but that snow will soon be melting, and the runoff will go straight into the river, since the ground is still frozen up there. Over 1.5 million sandbags are being deployed to attempt to confine the river in the Fargo/Moorhead area. It looks like a bad start to Spring everywhere in the midwest.

[timdog44]

6. Will County, Illinois.

They are saying the Des Plaines river will be record flood. About 10-15 years ago it had a 500 year flood devastating Shorewood.

Here in Wilmington we have had 5" since Monday and still raining. The small streams and creeks that feed the Kankakee River are as bad as I have seen in the 30 years I have lived here.

[MineralMan]

7. I think there will be lots of flooding in the Midwest.

Stay safe!

[timdog44]

8. Thank you.

It will be bad.

[waddirum]

17. My folks lived in Joliet

and I lost all of my yearbooks, textbooks, letters, and photos in that flood.

[timdog44]

20. That is sad.

That is always the big loss, unless it is a loved one.

I used to live in a starter home in Shorewood that was flooded at that time. They turned the whole area into a park. Good from bad?

[greatauntoftriplets]

9. It's a mess here -- 5 and 6 inches of rain in the last 24 hours.

And that's on top of days and days of rain.

Local NBC affiliate is saying the governor may ask for federal disaster relief. Right now he's down in Springfield getting briefed and will head back to Chicago this afternoon to see what's going on. A sinkhole on the South Side has swallowed three cars. In some areas, people are getting around by boat.

Getting anywhere is difficult. Some expressways (when passable) are taking two hours to get into the city.

Schools and some businesses in my town are closed. One expressway entrance is closed due to flooding.

[MineralMan]

13. Thanks for the report!

[greatauntoftriplets]

14. Just read in a local Facebook group...

Someone in my small suburb had 6.5 inches in her rain gauge.

[MineralMan]

15. Yow!

[greatauntoftriplets]

16. Yes, that's a lot.

At the moment, it's not raining hard, just sprinkles.

[OnlinePoker]

10. Could be a blessing in disguise

I know flash flooding sucks, but this could go a long way into raising the levels of the Great Lakes back towards normal. I tried going on the Army Corps of Engineers GL water level site, but the PDFs that show the daily levels won't open up. I had the same issue a couple of weeks ago when I tried so I don't know if it's an issue with the site or not.

[maddogesq]

11. My sis in Colorado...

says that all this snow they have been getting will put them close to the snowpack they need to get through the summer.

As you say, you can find good in the bad sometimes.

[surrealAmerican]

12. Lake Michigan still looks alarmingly low.

It would take months of this to make a difference.

[Joshua Pistachio]

18. Not good for traffic

only snow is worse.

[Carolina]

19. Global warming style

April showers

[greatauntoftriplets]

21. Governor Patrick Quinn has declared a state of emergency.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Quinn-Activates-Flood-Emergency-Response-203600511.html

Two of the three major east-west streets in my suburb are closed due to flooding.