Rainfall Totals For Chicago Area; Flood Threat Continues

It's rare to see heavy rainfall like we saw this past week in February. In fact, the Feb. 18 to Feb. 21 rainfall went down in the history books as the second wettest February rainfall event on record with 2.68 inches of rain recorded at O'Hare International Airport. The rainiest February event on record occurred between Feb. 20 to Feb. 22, 1997, when 4.08 inches of rain fell, according to the National Weather Service.

The heavy rain coupled with melting snow was a recipe for disaster for many towns. Roads flooded and were closed and rivers continue to crest this week, which could lead to more flooding, weather officials said.

As of Thursday morning, the National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for several Chicago area rivers and many have risen above flood stage. The Des Plaines River near Lemont was at 11.42 feet as of 6 a.m. – and flood stage was 10 feet. At that stage, moderate flooding was expected.

Many area rivers had reached a stage where minor flooding was expected as of early Thursday. Here is a look at the current river stage and the flood stage at some area rivers:

• Fox River at Algonquin Tailwater: 9.07 feet as of 6 a.m./Flood stage is 9.5 feet. The river is expected to rise to 10 feet by 12 p.m. on Saturday.
• Des Plaines River near Gurnee: 7.58 feet as of 6:45 a.m., flood stage is 7 feet. The river is expected to rise. The river is now expected to drop.
• Des Plaines River Near Des Plaines: 15.99 feet as of 6:45 a.m., flood stage is 15 feet.

Other rivers experiencing minor flooding as of early Thursday include the East Branch of the DuPage River in Bolingbrook, the DuPage River near Plainfield, the DuPage River in Shorewood, the Fox River in Montgomery and the Des Plaines River near Russell. Many other rivers were near flood stage, according to the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, which provides forecasts for flood categories of of area waterways through Feb. 28.

Rainfall Totals

Here is a look at rainfall totals as measured from 6 p.m. on Sunday to 6 a.m. on Wednesday:

• Crete: 4.56 inches
• Wilmington: 4.2 inches
• Park Forest: 3.99 inches
• Chicago: 3.91
• Manhattan: 3.88
• New Lenox: 3.76
• Coal City: 3.69
• Joliet: 3.58
• Chicago Ridge: 3.56
• Midway: 3.55
• Willow Springs: 3.54
• Minooka: 3.53
• Oak Lawn: 3.51
• Morris: 3.46
• Palos Park: 3.46
• Lockport: 3.45
• Homewood: 3.35
• Romeoville: 3.23
• Wheaton: 3.09
• Downers Grove: 3.08
• Lisle: 3.06
• Naperville: 3.05
• Elmhurst: 2.91
• Woodstock: 286
• Aurora: 2.84
• Westmont: 2.82
• Roselle: 2.78
• Oak Park: 2.78
• Batavia: 2.74
• North Aurora: 2.71
• Glen Ellyn: 2.70
• Park Ridge: 2.68
• Sugar Grove: 2.59
• Geneva: 2.48
• St. Charles: 2.41
• Barrington: 2.24
• Buffalo Grove: 2.21
• Elgin: 2.12
• Lake Zurich: 2.01
• Algonquin: 1.65.
• Cary: 1.52
• Gurnee: 1.43

More rainfall totals via the National Weather Service.

Photo caption: The Fox River hit record high levels in Algonquin during flooding this past summer. Photo credit: Amie Rowland