With soils across the area completely saturated after well over twice the normal amount rain in the August and September period—10.38” at Midway Airport versus the typical 4.79”—Wednesday’s thundery downpours translated quickly to run-off and serious flooding. Hardest hit was the city’s South Side and south suburban areas.
Midway Airport’s 1.08” brought that site’s September tally to 3.26”—just 0.19” below the normal rainfall which typically falls over the entire month of September. The past four days alone have generated 2.65”. Areas farther south were hit by the heaviest rains of all Wednesday. Morris in Grundy County was swamped by 4.81” while sections of Indiana’s Lake and Newton Counties were hit with over 5” of rain.
Chicago’s cloudy September continues. After another sunless day Wednesday, the month has seen just 45% of its possible sun—the least in 22 years.
-Tom Skilling
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
