Flood Watches As Heavy Rain, Winds Hit Northern Illinois

ILLINOIS — A strong autumn storm system has moved into the Chicago area Sunday, and will continue to bring rain and wind through Monday, along with possible flooding and tornado watches to other parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

Soaking, possibly heavy rain, will fall from Sunday afternoon through Monday, which could lead to river rises and ponding on roads and low-lying areas, the weather service said. There may also be some embedded thunderstorms on Sunday and Sunday night.

Flood watches are in place in several areas:

• Flood warning until 2 p.m. Tuesday for Cook County
• Lakeshore flood advisory until 7 p.m. Monday for Cook, Lake and northern Cook counties
• Flash flood watch until 3 a.m. Monday for central Cook, DuPage, eastern Will, Grundy, Kendall, northern Cook, northern Will, southern Cook and southern Will counties

By 8 to 9 p.m., the National Weather Service said some areas could get 1 to 2 inches of rain. Drivers should use caution if driving Sunday night.

Wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph are also possible Sunday night, with the strongest gusts near the lake from Chicago northward, according to the weather service. Loose objects may be blown around, and high-profile vehicles may find travel hazardous.

A tornado warning was in effect until 6 p.m. in Calhoun, Greene and Pike counties, with a tornado watch Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Greene, Jersey and Pike counties until 10 p.m.

Highs on Monday will be around 57 degrees, according to the weather service. Rain will begin to ease through the day, and patchy frost is possible Monday night as lows dip into the 30s.

By Tuesday, the weather will be quieter, and it will be sunny, with a high of 54. Wednesday will also be sunny with a high of 58 degrees, according to the weather service.

Showers are again possible on both Thursday and Friday, which have a high of 57 degrees on both days, the weather service said.