Rainfall had been sparse this month with most of the metropolitan area tallying less than one inch of rain through May’s first 25 days. Unfortunately it took a holiday weekend to begin to reverse this dry trend. Booming thunderstorms swept the northern suburbs early Saturday bringing upwards of an inch of rain to portions of that area. More rain fell there Saturday afternoon and evening, while vigorous thunderstorms brought downpours to the South Side and southern suburbs, areas bypassed by the Saturday morning storms. Rain fell heavily in the Joliet area Saturday afternoon bringing flash flooding to many spots. The rain should end here early Sunday and is not expected to return until late Monday allowing many dry hours for holiday activities.
Chicago’s rain paled to the flooding cloudbursts that struck Texas Saturday. Victoria was doused by 4.41”, while 3.29” soaked Waco.
--By Steve Kahn, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
