Chicago Weather: More rain falls Thursday as flooding concerns grow in southern, western suburbs
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Another round of rain fell across the Chicago area Thursday, adding to flooding concerns in the southern and western suburbs.
Rain began moving through the area around 7 a.m. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall, La Salle, Livingston and Will counties in Illinois and Lake County in Indiana until 5 p.m.
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In Lisle Thursday, Carl Doerr's backyard looked more like a lake.
"Now you see the water comes into about 20 feet of the rear lot line property," Doerr said.
Doerr's home sits nearby a branch of the DuPage River.
"Water is not a problem until it gets in your house. That happens all over in the low areas," Doerr said.
Stormwater management teams have been in action for 72 hours since DuPage County was hit with five inches of rain water and counting.
Crews focused on pumping that water out of residents' yards as many like Tracy Lyons keep a close eye on the level of the DuPage River.
"We are worried about the river, .because if the river goes out we are all in trouble," Lyons said.
Stormwater crews tell ABC7 the peaks of the rivers in the county are finally nearing their highest level, sitting lower than they did on Wednesday.
The high water levels in Naperville have closed down the riverwalk. With more rain on the way, city crews are preparing for even more flooding.
The city roped off the walkways downtown to stop people from getting too close to the dangerously high waters.
Floodwaters are covering a number of busy roads in the south and west suburbs.
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In Plainfield, the residents are worried about the DuPage River, which keeps on rising and pushing water closer to homes.
Niles and Lisle are dealing similar situations, with several inches of water covering parks, streets and flooding garages and basements.
"There is supposed to be more rain coming, so if that does come down hard enough we could be in a little bit of trouble," said Plainfield resident Corinne Coffindaffer.
In Orland Park, police said a number of streets remain closed Thursday morning.
The Will County Forest Preserve District said the following preserves and trails are closed: Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve, the lower portion of Hammel Woods - Route 59 Access and the dog park at Hammel Woods, the DuPage River Trail at Black Road, sections of the Hickory Creek Bikeway, Sauk Trail Reservoir, the eastern portions of Whalon Lake and Rock Run Rookery, and Evans-Judge Preserve. Updates will be posted on the forest preserve's website, ReconnectWithNature.org.
WATCH: Flooding concerns in Grundy County
The village of Utica was the latest community to issue a voluntary evacuation because of rising waters. Dozens of road closures are in place and residents filled up sandbags as they kept an eye on the Illinois River. It crested at 23.5 feet Thursday, just shy of the record - 24 feet.
Since Saturday, Grundy County has experienced 5.4 inches of rain. The Grundy County Emergency Management Agency is warning residents to put safety first.
"Turn around, don't drown. That's something that we all push to keep people out of the water and that's our challenge right now," said Joe Schroeder, Grundy County Emergency Management.
Parts of Starved Rock State Park are submerged and areas of the park are closed down.
