Hail, Severe Storms Lash Chicago Area

Western suburbs, including areas such as Naperville and Aurora were hit particularly hard

Flash flooding was the main concern overnight after severe storms moved through the Chicago area Tuesday.

Flash flood warnings are in effect for several counties overnight. Runoff from the excessive rainfall will cause minor flooding, especially along small streams. Up to 6 inches of standing water has been reported in North Aurora.

Intense thunderstorms wreaked havoc throughout much of the viewing area, producing rain, thunder, lightning, 70 mph winds and golf ball-sized hail. A lightning strike was blamed for starting a fire on the roof of an Oak Forest apartment building.

The western suburbs, including areas such as Naperville and Aurora were hit particularly hard.

Joe Yeung was driving in the Lisle area when the hail storm hit.

"My field of vision was like a car length at most ... It was a terrible sound to hear when you're driving. I was worried my car's windshield would start cracking. Did not like that at all," Yeung said.

High winds uprooted trees, damaged buildings and blew a semi-trailer onto its side in DeKalb.

Midway International Airport issued a full ground stop at 8:30 p.m. due to the weather, but delays were down to 15 minutes by 9 p.m. O'Hare reported 115 cancellations and delays of more than an hour for all flights.

Wednesday looks to stay warm, with temperatures near 80 degrees, but the threat for showers and storms is expected to stay south and east of the Chicago area.

Temperatures should stay in the 70s for the rest of the week.

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