CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- 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.
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.
Thunderstorms will gradually move southeast through the wee hours of this morning. The main threat is continued flooding due to heavy rain. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/xq5DsjqvTm
— 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.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2020. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
