Heavy rains are expected to continue falling over the Chicago area Friday morning, leading the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood watch.
The weather advisory covers northeast Illinois and parts of northwest Indiana, and is in effect until 7 a.m., the weather service said. Several rounds of thunderstorms late Thursday and early Friday have already flooded roadways in the area.
Ongoing flash flooding in Carol Stream, IL. A common scene through the rest of overnight for northern Illinois. DO NOT cross flooded roadways. #ILwx https://t.co/DqLCrsVClq
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) May 15, 2020
Officials believe the storms also caused lightning to strike a radar system at the National Weather Service Chicago office in Romeoville early Friday, the agency said in a tweet. Forecasters are relying on radar systems at O’Hare and Midway airports and other adjacent NWS radars until it can be repaired.
Our radar likely took a lightning strike around 12:40am and is currently inoperable. The technician has been contacted and we are troubleshooting. Our operations continue here though, and we are using the O'Hare/Midway TDWRs and adjacent NWS radars.
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) May 15, 2020
The rain is expected to taper off after about 9 a.m. Friday, the weather service said. Temperatures will rise as high as 71 degrees, before falling to a low of about 48 degrees.
The reprieve from the rain will be brief, with a new round of showers and thunderstorms expected Saturday and Sunday, the weather service said. Saturday’s high temperature will be around 60 degrees, and climb to 67 degrees on Sunday.
