South suburbs flooded as rain persists

A weekend of showers and thunderstorms has left the south suburbs in disarray, and the rain is not expected to let up anytime soon.

The National Weather Service reported Sunday that weekend rainfall totals reached heights of almost nine inches in areas along the Interstate 80 corridor, which cuts through the south suburbs from Ottawa to Hammond, Indiana.

The Village of Seneca, which lies just south of I-80 between Joliet and Ottawa, was hit the hardest, with rainfall totals peaking at 8.76 inches, the weather service said. Other suburbs along the corridor saw between five and eight inches.

The downpour also set a record on Friday for the most rainfall recorded at O’Hare International Airport on Sept. 27, with 2.28 inches collected that day, according to weather service data.

Streets across the south suburbs were closed over the weekend as high water levels rendered them impassable, the weather service said.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency did not immediately say if it would be responding to the floods.

The showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue Sunday evening, the weather service said. A dry Monday should provide a brief respite from the rain, before the storms start up again Tuesday and persist throughout the week.