The graphic above is Storm Total Rainfall from Sunday for southern Lower Michigan and the Chicago area. Parts of the Chicago area had very heavy rainfall and flooding. Heavy rain and small hail fell on parts of southwest Michigan.
Small hail pelted Portage and Constantine, Michigan. Heavy rain deep enough to cause a few vehicles to stall out was reported in Portage, where Westnedge Ave. was closed for a brief time due to high water on the road. Rainfall at the Kalamazoo Airport totaled 0.94″. Other area rainfall totals: Benton Harbor 0.25″, Battle Creek 0.10″, Muskegon 0.05″, Lansing 0.02″, Grand Rapids did not get measurable rainfall.
Check out these rainfall totals from the Chicago area: S. Holland 5.68″, Harvey 5.04″, Oak Forest 4.26″, La Grange 2.44″, O’Hare Airport 1.62″, Wheeling 1.45″ Midway Airport 1.20″.
Several viaducts were flooded with several floating in the water. On the Near West Side, the viaduct by West Kinzie Street & Ashland Avenue was inundated by floodwaters, but cars with hazard lights blinking were still spotted driving through it and at least one driver was forced to abandon their vehicle. Heavy rains made East 130th Street in South Deering impassable, so Chicago Police had to block off the road.
“I was on my way to work and I couldn’t get through. I tried to go down 130th Street, I tried to take State Street down,” said Melissa Musial, a driver who attempted to navigate the flooded roads. “Torrance Avenue was completely flooded. I’ve been sitting here in my car for hours.”
In Calumet City, firefighters had to rescue drivers stranded in the flood waters. One resident remarked “…people don’t need their cars, they need some boats.”
