Wunderground.com - 4/18/13, Dr. Jeff Masters
Figure 1. Heavy rains in Chicago this morning caused a sinkhole to open up near 96th and Houston streets. The sinkhole was due to a water main break from a pipe constructed in 1915. Image credit: WGN Morning News
Torrential downpours from endless thunderstorms have pounded the Chicago area since noon Thursday, forcing declaration of a flash flood emergency in the city this morning. Four to six inches of rain has fallen in the past 24 hours over most of Northern Illinois, with more than half of that total falling since midnight in many areas. Chicago's Ohare Airport received 5.85" as of 10 am CDT, and the 3.84" of rain that has fallen so far today is the heaviest rain ever recorded in a calendar day in the Windy City so early in the year. Radar-estimated rainfall amounts in excess of 8" have occurred in areas of Northwest Illinois about 150 miles east of Chicago. Chicago's all-time 24-hour rainfall record is 9.35", set August 13 - 14, 1987. Another 1 - 2" of rain is likely today in the city. Flooding has been reported in at least 500 basements and homes, and countless roadways are reported under water and impassible. Portions of the Eisenhower, Edens, and Kennedy expressways have been flooded and closed. Several communities have declared a state of emergency, but no injuries have been reported.
Link: Wunderground.com
