Chicago weather: Flood Watch in effect for much of Chicago area amid heavy rain | LIVE radar

Flood Watch issued for much of Chicago area until 4 a.m. Monday: National Weather Service

ByTre Ward and ABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Sunday, September 11, 2022
LIVE look around Chicago
LIVE look around Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Flooding could impact much of the Chicago area Sunday as heavy rain moves through, the National Weather Service said.

City officials say their 311 call center is experiencing a high volume of calls and encourage residents to submit reports of flooding online.

A Flood Watch is in effect for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, Will, Boone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Ogle and Winnebago counties until 4 a.m. Monday.

A Flood Watch is also in effect for the Des Plaines River until further notice, NWS said.

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Irving Park and Ravenswood saw a lot of flooding Sunday.

A picture from the area shows the floodwater blocking some people from getting to the nearby train.

The heavy rain, also impacting other areas in and around the city.

City officials say their 311 call center is experiencing a high volume of calls due to the heavy rain and encourage residents to submit reports of flooding online.

In Melrose Park, you can see cars were stuck in high water. In fact, a man was seen carrying a dog through the floodwater, leading them both to safety.

Several car were also stranded cars near Irving Park Road and Cicero.

The torrential rain is also a headache for homeowners who are having to clean up after their basements flooded.

"Lovely morning here," joked homeowner Scott Surma. "We get all the rain in the deluge. It was six to eight inches out in the streets and you get it in the sewers, and that's because they put the stoppers in the main sewer, so it backs up into the homeowners' sewer. You have eight inches of water, and this is a lovely thing to work with, especially on a Sunday for the Bears' opening game. I'd rather be watching the Bears than this lovely cleaning."

One Northwest Side business owner have to run in after getting a call about flooding.

"Most of it came out of that drain," said bRob Tovar, director at 2112 Incubator Chicago. ""We had to figure out ways to just get around Montrose, and Lawrence, and Irving. It was just complete stoppage. It came fast!"

Sewer water seen shooting up like a geyser amid heavy rain Sunday

High winds also toppled a tree onto a home in Albany Park.

"I looked out the window and I saw the tree coming, so I jumped and started running in the opposite direction," said Carlos Pappa, who lives in the house.

Sewer water was also seen spewing out on Foster and Ravenswood Avenues, leaving cars stranded. The downpour nearly swallowed some cars in Budlong Woods and came down at Soldier Field as Bears fans tailgated.

Rain will be heaviest in the north, said ABC7 Chicago Meteorologist Greg Dutra. Most of the area will catch between 0.5 and 1 inch of rain, but some models are calling for more. A few more showers are expected Monday with cool temperatures.

Chicago's non-emergency service said it has been receiving a high volume of calls due to Sunday morning's heavy rain. Residents and motorists can visit 311.chicago.gov to report water in their basement, standing water on their street, tree debris, flood viaducts and any traffic light outage. Residents are also encouraged to download the CHI 311 app in the App Store or Google Play to make 311 reports.

The city released a list of tips for preventing floods. Officials said residents should avoid running a dishwasher or washing machine during storms. They also said to disconnect downspout connections from the sewer system and direct flow to areas with permeable surfaces that can properly absorb the stormwater, or use rain barrels to collect the rain directly from the downspouts.

City officials also recommended installing rain gardens, green landscaping or storm water trees in yards to help retain rainwater and resurfacing driveways, parking pads or patios with permeable pavements. They warned residents not to dump fats, oils and greases in private drains or public catch basins.