Flash Flood — Cook, Illinois

2025-07-25 · near Burr Ridge, Cook, Illinois

Event narrative

Flash flooding was widespread across a narrow corridor in central Cook County roughly along and south of Interstate 55 with the heaviest rain falling near Midway Airport. An estimated 30,000 basements were flooded in Chicago, including in Chicago Lawn, West Lawn, Elsdon, Clearing, Garfield Ridge and Gage Park. Approximately 100 structures were damaged or destroyed from the flooding. Numerous roads and viaducts were flooded and closed. A person was reported trapped in a car that was stuck in a flooded viaduct near Gage Park, who needed to be rescued. Two to three feet of flood waters were reported on 47th Street between South Halsted Street and South Morgan Street. In Washington Park, an underpass was flooded on South Street with a vehicle stuck in the flood waters.

In Bridgeview, waist high flood waters were reported on neighborhood streets from 79th Street to 83rd Street. Flood waters 6 to 18 inches deep were reported on streets from 71th Street to 84th Street just east of Harlem Avenue. There were over a dozen water rescues in Bridgeview. In Justice, multiple streets were flooded with several inches of water. At least one car was stuck in the flood waters. Multiple streets were flooded with several inches of flood water in Summit. An additional estimated 3,500 basements were flooded across Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Burbank and Summit.

Storm total rainfall amounts which fell in a 2 to 3 hour period included 5.98 inches in Garfield Ridge; 5.68 inches one mile west northwest of Bridgeview; 5.50 inches in Burr Ridge; 5.15 inches one mile southeast of Midway Airport; 4.90 inches in Bedford Park; 4.64 inches one mile west of Bedford Park; 3.38 inches one mile south southwest of Indian Head Park and 3.14 inches at Midway Airport.

Wider weather episode

Isolated thunderstorms produced funnel clouds across central Illinois during the late morning of July 25th. A narrow line of thunderstorms developed over southeast DuPage and central Cook Counties during the late morning of July 25th and continued into the early afternoon producing torrential rainfall and widespread flash flooding. Scattered thunderstorms moved across portions of northern Illinois during the late evening of July 25th into the early morning of July 26th producing heavy rain and localized flash flooding.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.7313, -87.9149)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1280005. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.