Thunderstorm downpours, the first since flooding rains with the remnants of Hurricane
Ike and Tropical Storm Lowell forced area rivers out of their banks, doused sections of
the Chicago area Wednesday afternoon. Hardest hit were the northwest suburbs where
as much as 0.83 inches fell at Hoffman Estates, 0.50 inches at Itasca and 0.40 inches at
Palatine. Though the rains bypassed a majority of the Chicago area, Doppler radar
estimates suggested a few locations may have recorded as much as 1.50 inches of rain.
The most impressive cloud tops soared to heights of 42,000 feet, according to Doppler
radar scans.
The storms followed a fifth day at or above 80 degrees at O'Hare. While O'Hare topped
out at 82 degrees, the area's warmest readings included 88 degrees at New Lenox and
87 degrees at Orland Park and Munster, Ind., according to unofficial measurements
from WeatherBug sensors.
High winds with a mammoth area of low pressure continues battering the East Coast
from Florida to New England Thursday. Tropical forecasters are monitoring two
systems in the Atlantic which may take on tropical characteristics.
BRIEF INTERRUPTION IN CHICAGO'S 5-DAY STRING of 80 DEGREE DAYS-- BUT
MORE 80s AHEAD
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
