3 children dead as boat capsizes on Geneva Lake; storms cause flooding concerns in Chicago area
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Strong storms are tearing through the Chicago area Friday afternoon and evening, after many raked the area Thursday into Friday.
The Chicago area was under a Level 2 risk for severe weather Friday, as some storms were expected to produce damaging winds and flooding.
A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for Cook and Will counties until 2 a.m. Saturday.
A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for Lake County, Indiana until 1:15 a.m. Saturday.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for Grundy, Kankakee, Will, Jasper, Lake (IN), Newton and Porter counties until 2 a.m. Saturday.
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A boat capsized on Geneva Lake Friday.
Seven people were rescued, and three people died, the Walworth County Sheriff's Office said.
The three people who died were children, officials said in an update later Friday.
Authorities said the children were all wearing life vests.
Witnesses said there were rescues near Big Foot State Park. There were many downed trees and power lines in the area.
Ground stops at O'Hare and Midway airports have been lifted.
Over 200 flights have been canceled at O'Hare. Delays at O'Hare are about 90 minutes; they're about 30 minutes at Midway.
A Delta flight from Chicago to Atlanta was diverted to Indianapolis after the pilot reported it being struck by lightning flying out of the city.
No one was injured.
The storms blew down a large tree on Chicago's Northwest Side. It hit a moving vehicle near Montrose and Drake avenues.
A light pole fell on a vehicle there, too.
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The tree is blocking traffic.
In Evanston, the storm blew down a large tree limb onto a moving car.
It happened on the 1800-block of Brown Street.
An Evanston fire official says the tree limb crashed through the vehicle's windshield, injuring two people.
Firefighters had to extricate one of the victims from the damaged vehicle.
Both people have been rushed to the hospital. A third person inside the vehicle was not injured.
Rivers in the area are swelling amid heavy rainfall this week.
A kayaking trip on the DuPage River took a dangerous turn Friday morning, after several kayaks overturned near Bolingbrook.
Fire crews rescued five people from the water, and confirmed all 22 members of the group were OK.
No one was hurt, and firefighters are reminding anyone heading out on the water to wear a life jacket and check conditions before launching.
A tree fell on a home in Aurora; there are no reports of injuries.
There could be on and off storms through Friday night into Saturday morning.
As for the Fourth of July, ABC7 Chicago AccuWeather meteorologist Jaisol Martinez said there could be some morning storms before a period of dry weather in the late morning and early afternoon. There then will be an increased chance for storms in the later afternoon and evening.
Temperatures are expected to remain hot and humid, with highs around 90 Friday and in the upper 80s Saturday.
This comes after a round of storms Thursday night caused damage and knocked down trees, impacting the CTA Yellow Line, where passengers had to be rescued.
