April showers could bring May sorrows to Illinois.
As area residents continue cleaning up after one of the largest floods in state history, the forecast warns of another round of storms this week.
A half-inch to an inch of rain could pour down on the Chicago area Tuesday as rain returns with a few thunderstorms in the afternoon, models show. Temperatures likely will dip Tuesday evening into Wednesday, prompting the possibility of snow showers.
Clouds are expected to break for more sunshine Thursday with highs in the upper 40s before partly sunny skies become cloudy with showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening.
After a few showers early Saturday morning, a reprieve is expected later in the weekend as clouds decrease and highs reach the lower 50s.
Until then, Chicago sees its best day of the week on Monday thanks to plenty of predicted sunshine and mild temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60s inland
It marked the welcomed third dry day after a major storm last week dropped several inches on northern Illinois, resulting in widespread flooding. The damage was so bad that Gov. Pat Quinn enacted an emergency response and declared 44 counties disaster areas.
"Illinois has seen an incredible level of devastation and reports indicate that conditions will get worse in the coming days,” Quinn said in a statement. “We want to ensure that every county gets the assistance they need and this declaration will give every affected community access to available resources."
Several water rescues were reported, and the flooding forced Morris Hospital in Grundy County to evacuate. Last Thursday two major expressways were among countless suburban arteries closed for weather as officials urged residents to stay home.
Homeowners on Chicago's northwest side lost whole rooms of belongings, and in Des Plaines, one of the hardest hit areas, some residents resorted to using canoes to get around subdivisions.
Quinn on Monday joined local officials to survey flood damage in Meredosia as crews continue filling sandbags in anticipation of record river levels on the Illinois River. He said he's asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with flood damage assessments in Illinois.
