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Chicago is bracing for another round of rain and storms on Wednesday, as forecasted by meteorologists. The day will start with some dry periods, but residents should prepare for potential severe weather later on.
As the afternoon unfolds, temperatures will rise, offering a brief respite before the storm clouds gather once more. ABC7 AccuWeather meteorologist Tracy Butler warns that the evening could see waves of storms, some of which may turn severe. The primary concerns with these storms are strong winds, hail, and the possibility of flooding.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed the entire Chicago region under a Level 2 risk for severe weather, indicating a heightened potential for hazardous conditions.
In response to these forecasts, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District has extended an Overflow Action Alert for the day, urging residents to remain vigilant and prepared for any weather-related disruptions.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District has continued an Overflow Action Alert for Wednesday.
Downpours and isolated storms continued Wednesday morning, after strong storms blew through the area Tuesday.
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People in Elgin are cleaning up from the storms as a large tree crushed cars on a quiet suburban street.
The family who lives there said they just moved in less than a year ago.
They said they heard a loud boom Tuesday night when the storms came through. They came outside to see a massive tree in their front yard uprooted.
It fell right on top of two of their vehicles parked out on the street and took power lines down with it.
“This was a big surprise to come around the corner and boom here’s a very, very large old pine laying in the middle of the street that took off a part of the tree across the street,” neighbor Gary Kunold said.
Safety crews have Chicago Street blocked off between Worth and Commonwealth avenues.
“This is unbelievable,” neighbor Angel Rodriguez said. “In Elgin, you don’t see the wind doing this much damage; so it’s unbelievable.”
“The wind really picked up,” neighbor Norm Ball said. “It was like microbursts of wind, and then we started looking out the window. And we could see there was a tree down.”
Ball cleared tree limbs from the sidewalk, grateful the tree narrowly missed his home.
“I feel sorry for these guys,” Ball said.
Record rainfall was recorded at O’Hare Tuesday, making it the rainiest day in April – since 2013.
“We get these periods where we get a lot of rain, and we’re in a cycle where we’re getting again and again, again for a while here,” Kunold said.
Kunold, who’s lived there for 40 years says, said it’s an older neighborhood. So sometimes they’re affected more heavily by storms.
“Lots of these homes are somewhere between 75 and 100 years old,” Kunold said. “And trees have been here for decades and decades and decades. You’ve got big old trees. And whenever we get big storms, this whole area it’s not uncommon that we get a lot of limbs down and sometimes whole trees.”
“At least nobody got hurt, that’s the important thing,” Rodriguez said.
ComEd crews were seen working in the area and neighbors said power has been restored.
Tornadoes and baseball-sized hail tore through parts of Wisconsin and Iowa on Tuesday evening, leaving behind damaged buildings and at least one home destroyed.
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