Mandatory evacuation ordered in Marseilles because of flooding

Heavy rainfall and record high temperatures Tuesday caused flooding throughout the Chicago area and prompted an evacuation Wednesday morning in Marseilles.

The city of Marseilles issued a mandatory evacuation order about 6:50 a.m. Wednesday for all residents living south of the I&M Canal and east of Main Street, including Mill Street, because of rising river levels. All residents must be out of their homes by 2 p.m. and may go to the Marseilles Lions Club or American Legion for shelter while the evacuation order is in place.

Multiple sites along the Illinois River in north central Illinois were experiencing major flooding Wednesday morning, including Morris and Ottawa, which is just west of Marseilles, according to the National Weather Service.

Record-breaking rainfall brought 2.6 inches of rain to O’Hare Airport by Tuesday evening, beating out the 1997 record of 1.94 inches for the same date, according to the weather service.

A flood warning for the Chicago area was set to expire at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. The National Weather Service isseed the flood warning Monday evening.

Drivers should be aware of large areas of standing water that accumulated Tuesday, NWS meteorologist Ben Deueelbeiss said.

Overnight, Chicago and northwest Indiana were under a Winter Weather Advisory. Freezing rain, sleet and some snow accumulated on the roads as rain moved east toward Chicago and the Indiana state line, said the weather service.

Tuesday’s rainfall, combined with melting snow and rapid runoff due to frozen ground, flooded low-lying areas and caused water levels to rise in rivers and ponds according to the weather service.

Moderate flooding was reported along the DuPage River in Bolingbrook and Shorewood, along the Des Plaines River in Riverside and Lemont and along the Little Calumet River in South Holland and in Munster, Indiana, the weather service said.

DuPage County Stormwater Management began operating its major flood control facilities in Elmhurst, Naperville, Bloomingdale and Carol Stream early Tuesday, the agency said in a statement.