Storms pass through area Tuesday night, road flooding possible in Chicago Wednesday
There is the possibility of some ponding and flooding on low-lying roads as waves of steady rain come through the area Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
The rain will come from a storm system with a slow-moving cold front, and bring the heaviest, steadiest rain Wednesday morning.
Ahead of this system, the Chicago area can expect to see a few storms late Tuesday and then gradually increasing widespread coverage of rain overnight.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for LaSalle and DeKalb counties, but has since been dropped. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued Tuesday evening for LaSalle County.
A severe thunderstorm warning was also issued Tuesday evening for parts of Rock and Walworth counties in southern Wisconsin.
See the full 7-day First Alert forecast
Drivers should brace for a rainy, slow commute Wednesday morning and waves of rain will slowly taper off from west to east. The rain should end in Chicago by midday, but could persist in Northwest Indiana until late afternoon.
Most areas can expect 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches of rain, but heavier totals are possible.
While this storm system doesn't carry a risk of producing severe weather, the quantity of rain could lead to some ponding and flooding on low-lying roads and in low-lying areas.
Tuesday afternoon storms cause damage in McHenry County
Powerful wind gusts took down trees and power lines as a fast-moving storm blasted its way through McHenry County, Illinois northwest of Chicago on Tuesday afternoon.
In Harvard, Illinois, near the Wisconsin state line, a large tree fell onto a house in the 600 block of Dewey Street around 1:30 p.m. — bringing down power lines. People were inside the house at the time, but no one was injured, according to the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District.
Around the same time, a downed power line caught fire in the 22500 block of Harmony Road in Marengo, leading to the road being shut down for more than 90 minutes. In Woodstock, a tree fell onto utility lines at Jackson and Douglas streets.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District said while the storms caused isolated damage, it was not widespread.
