Flash Flood — Will, Illinois

2003-07-27 · near North Central Portion, Will, Illinois

Wider weather episode

A line of severe thunderstorms moved east across north central Illinois during the early afternoon hours of July 27th. Additional thunderstorms developed ahead of the first line across the southern portions of the Chicago Metro area producing very heavy rain and widespread flooding. As the first line of severe storms reached Lee county, numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Amboy in Lee county. Trees were blown down onto houses in West Brooklyn, also in Lee county. Winds as high as 65 mph blew down trees, large tree limbs and power lines across many locations in La Salle county. Trees were blown down in La Salle. Trees were uprooted near Lake Holiday in far northeast La Salle county. Large tree limbs were blown down in Mendota, Norway and one mile east of Serena. A grain bin was crushed and partially lifted off its base in Ottawa and a tree fell onto a car in Seatonville, both in LaSalle county. Wind damage was widespread across Kendall county as well. Trees, large tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Plano, Newark and Oswego as well as many rural parts of the county. Trees were blown down blocking Illinois Route 71 west of Oswego. Trees 20 inches in diameter were blown down southeast of Plano along Lynwood Drive. Southwest of Plano, a large tree limb fell onto a roof and broke a skylight. Winds gusted to 74 mph in Sandwich in De Kalb county, where numerous large trees were blown down or uprooted and a 20 inch diameter tree fell onto house. Several trees and tents were blown down at an Antique show in Sandwich in DeKlab county where one person suffered a broken arm and another was hit in the head by a falling tent pole. Canopies were also blown off of stores in Sandwich. A two and a half foot diameter tree was snapped at its base in Morris in Grundy county. A gust to 60 mph was reported in Naperville in Will county. A one foot diameter tree was snapped in half on Winthrop Street, east of Larkin and north of Black Roads in Joliet. Large tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Kankakee. A tree fell onto power lines in Sheldon in Iroquois county.In addition to the strong winds and wind damage, very heavy rain fell across much of Will and southern Cook counties. Most of the rain fell in a two hour period with 5.00 inches reported in Shorewood, 4.90 inches at the National Weather Service office in Romeoville, 4.10 inches in Midlothian, 4.00 inches in Joliet, 3.56 inches in Orland Park, 3.50 inches in Plainfield and South Holland, and 2.05 inches in Plano in Kendall county. Widespread street flooding was reported across all of north and central Will and southern Cook counties and many homes and businesses suffered water and flood damage. Retention ponds were flooded and backing up into yards and streets in Plainfield in Will county. Creeks were overflowing their banks in Midlothian in Cook county. Several roads had two to four feet of standing water and were impassible, some roads were partially washed away. Several cars were submerged at the intersection of Lagrange and Nebraska streets in Frankfort in Will county. A Will county sheriff's car was destroyed when it pulled into a flooded subdivision and sank. Several people had to be rescued from their cars after becoming trapped by flood waters in Frankfort, Lockport, Joliet, and Plainfield in Will county. A creek bridge was washed away in Lockport township. A man indirectly died from the flooding after walking into his flooded basement and being shocked because the water was in contact with electricity. An alley between Illinois and Main Streets in Lemont in Cook county was partially washed away by fast flowing water. 100 homes and 13 businesses were flooded in Lemont. Flood waters surrounded several buildings in Tinely Park. A 15 foot berm was washed away in unicorpated Palos Township which caused massive street and basement flooding in the Sandberg Glen subdivision. Street flooding was also reported in Plano in Kendall county.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5374011. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.