Major Flooding Hits South Suburbs, Northwest Indiana After Storms

Rain and storms left several parts of the Chicago area underwater with flooding late Wednesday into Thursday morning.

A Flash Flood Warning was in effect for parts of Cook and Will counties, according to the National Weather Service, which also issued a Flood Warning for Cook, Kankakee and LaSalle counties in Illinois, as well as Jasper, Lake and Newton counties in northwest Indiana.

The Flash Flood Warnings noted that emergency management had reported continued flooding of roadways across south suburban Steger early Thursday, with water levels in downstream areas expected to continue to rise.

The widespread flooding of roadways in Steger extended from Carpenter Street east to Lewis Street, with some locations under up to two feet of water, according to the NWS. Chicago Road, running north-south through Steger, was also impassable, according to the NWS, which said water was nearing structures in the area.

A water rescue was reported in Park Forest along Sauk Trail east of Western Avenue, while in Sauk Village, Burnham Avenue was closed near Plum Creek Forest Preserve due to flooding and downed power lines.

In northwest Indiana, several houses were flooded and roads closed with high standing water, leaving drivers stranded. The Indiana-2 railroad underpass west of Lowell was completely flooded out, according to the NWS. 

The NWS reminded the public to remember when encountering flooded roads: Turn around, don't drown.

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