Chicago saw nearly 8 inches of rainfall the past four days.
Chicago’s weekend thunderstorms brought down more rainfall than the City of Chicago has seen in years. In addition to taking the Chicago River to its highest point in 60 years, the massive storm resulted in flooding of streets, homes, and basements across the city, including Willis Tower, which was flooded so badly that the power went out.
Chicagoans are probably not very eager to see what else 2020 has in store for them. First came the pandemic, then the shutdown of the city’s restaurants, bars, and parks, now the weekend storms. We would ask what’s to come, but we’re afraid the universe will be tempted to do its worst.
“Two of the top five wettest May days ever were in the past four days. No wonder why the flooding is so bad,” said National Weather Service meteorologist, Gino Izzi.
Residents across the city found their basements flooded to their shins, and no different was what was once the tallest tower in the world. Flooding was so bad the Willis Tower that the waters shutdown a ComEd power transistor, cutting the power for the building.
The flooding was so bad that it effectively closed off Lower Wacker Drive. Six residents had to be rescued by boats deployed by the Chicago Fire Department to escape the flood.
“I can’t recall there ever being a time when Lower Wacker has flooded as a result of a rain event, and it was kind of a culmination of events, including nearly historic lake levels,” Izzi said.
The current record for highest rainfall in Chicago in May is 8.25 inches. Presently, May of 2020 is at 7.80 inches. This month’s rainfall is twice the city average for the month.
Presently, the weather forecasts predict AM showers tomorrow morning, May 19, partly cloudy skies throughout the week, and thunderstorms over the weekend.
[Featured image: @CFDmedia]