Flow of Chicago River Is Reversed to Ease Flooding After Massive Rains

A slow-moving storm dumped hours of heavy rainfall on the Chicagoland area on Sunday, causing flash flooding and sending water into basements.

The rainfall was so heavy that the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago began reversing the flow of water at the Chicago River locks downtown on Sunday afternoon.

That sent the water into Lake Michigan to help alleviate flooding.

The Illinois State Police said parts of Interstate 55 and Interstate 290 were closed because of flooding, with at least 10 cars trapped in water on Interstate 55 near Pulaski Road, a major north-south thoroughfare in the city.

Trains were stopped in some parts of the city as well.

Katera Fisher's car “just started floating” when she tried to drive through high water.

“So, my first reaction was to try and get out of the car. I opened the door, and the water started flooding my feet,” Fisher told WLS-TV.

The torrential rainfall came after 1-2” of rain had already fallen in the afternoon.

Daily rainfall totals in the area ranged from roughly three to seven inches according to the National Weather Service.

The suburb of Berwyn reported the most rain with 8.96”.  Cicero was closed behind with 8.6” of rain.

Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood saw 8.12” while Lincoln Park had 7.89” on Sunday.

The worst of the flooding occurred on the west and southwest sides of the city and in the near west and southwest suburbs.

Chicago-Midway Airport received 4.68" of rain. Chicago-O'Hare Airport received 3.35”.

NASCAR officials were forced to cancel the last half of a race through the city's downtown due to flooding.

Ricky Castro, a meteorologist in the NWS' Chicago office in suburban Romeoville, said a storm system was pinwheeling over the area rather than moving east, giving it time to pull moisture from the atmosphere and leading to heavy rainfall and flooding.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.