Monday July 9th, 2007 will be remembered by many as the "day it wouldn't stop raining." Hardest hit areas included western McHenry County (along IL23 from Marengo to Harvard), DeKalb County (cities of DeKalb and Sycamore), and rural Lee County (around Compton). It wasn't necessarily the rainfall totals that were so surprising, but the short time-frame that the rain fell! Weather observers added up near 3.50" of rainfall in one hour in DeKalb. That was enough to flood the DeKalb Wal-Mart. Witnesses report the water rushing into the store for a time.
Monday's rainfall will continue to find its way to lower ground through ditches, creeks, and rivers. What's interesting about the rain is where it happened. Both bullseyes of heavy precipitation lie right in the middle of the Kishwaukee River basin. The South Branch actually flows north into Winnebago County. The North Branch passes Belvidere and Cherry Valley before joining the South Branch at Perryville Road. (Incidentally the Perryville Road bridge is closed to traffic for repairs. No word on whether or not a flood would impact workers' efforts.)If you have a canoe or tubing trip planned, be mindful that the river may be near flood stage by the middle/end of the week. Conditions will be dangerous, especially if more rain falls in the area. -ERIC
6 comments:
I-88 was a mess this afternoon ! At the DeKalb toll plaza I pulled off to the side to watch a thin snakey funnel cloud forming south of the interstate. It reached about halfway from clouds to ground, then broke up just as I reached for my cell phone to dial 911 !
After passing through the toll plaza it wasn't long before the intense rain and hail began. It was so difficult to see anything I pulled off to the shoulder, as did many many other drivers ! After stopping for 10-15 minutes, I proceeded to drive again but felt it necessary to get off at the DeKalb oasis. It started hailing again and I tried to join a crowd of cars hudled under a gas station canopy ! Everyone looked concerned, I was wondering if the canopy would fall ! Amazing. There was a puddle in front of me so deep it reached the door sill of the passenger cars. In all of my years I have never been rained on so hard that I had to pull off the road, and I've never seen so many drivers pulled off because of rain. Ice yes, fog yes, rain no ! Amazing.
The little things you add to your weathercast is what I like about wrex.
I especially liked your 'river' graphic that you talked about. I wouldn't even think about the kish river rising through rockford due to the heavy rains southeast from here.
Thanks Eric!
Only recorded 1.00in here in Harvard...I think the heaviest rainn went just to the south of us
i would say here in loves park, about couple hundredths of an inch. just enough to run the windshield wipers. rockford, dodged another bullet.
geeze.. This reminds me of the Labor Day flood.
-A
well I know the labor day flood did not affect us here in loves park. I don't remember how much rain I had, but we had a good amount. Of course stubborn FEMA wouldn't help out.
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