Flooding causes major traffic problems

Tribune:

Heavy rains throughout the Chicago area have shut down roads, grounded flights and flooded basements Saturday.

The Edens Expressway is shut down in both directions at Caldwell, an Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman said. A witness reported major flooding on the two right lanes on the inbound Edens just before the junction.

Flights at O'Hare International Airport are delayed an hour or more with more delays and cancellations expected throughout the day, aviation officials said.

The I-190 ramp into O'Hare was flooded and inbound traffic to the airport was shut off, but has since reopened. CTA Blue Line service has been temporarily shut down between the Rosemont and O'Hare stations, but CTA officials said they were running shuttle buses.

The CTA's Yellow Line is shut down due to flooding along Niles Road, so a shuttle bus is running.

The rainfall is expected to cause severe flooding along the Des Plaines river, according to the National Weather Service. Water levels rose sharply on Saturday morning after a steady downpour. It is expected to crest early Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Nathan Marsili.

It's not over yet...

The downpour is expected to continue throughout the day and culminate Sunday, when the remnants of Hurricane Ike arrive. The storm is expected to hit hardest in Northwest Indiana and southern Will County, Marsili said.

All flights to and from Houston at both O'Hare and Midway Airport are canceled due to Hurricane Ike.

It's great to know this...

By noon Saturday, three to seven inches of rain had fallen across much of the Chicago area. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for Greater Chicago estimates that the rainfall is equivalent to 60 billion gallons of water, said agency spokeswoman Jill Horist.

The water district also opened up the locks at Wilmette harbor to release stormwater into Lake Michigan. Horist said it's a relatively rare occurrence, taking place only three times since 2002. The last time was August 2007, she said.

Has anyone been affect by the weather?