Rainstorms leave flooded roads, delayed flights, frustrated commuters
Mobile phones across southeastern DuPage and central Cook counties blared as thunderstorms brought the threat of flash floods Friday afternoon. Burr Ridge saw 5.5 inches of rain, and 4 to 5 inches fell near Midway Airport.
A flood watch is in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday for Cook, DuPage, eastern Will, Grundy, Kane, Kendall and Will counties in Illinois and Lake County in Indiana.
As skies cleared in the afternoon, receding water was still causing flooding along a stretch from Burr Ridge to the South Side of Chicago, said Brett Borchardt, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Flooding was reported in Chicago Lawn, Inglewood, Hyde Park and just south of Midway Airport.
Friday saw 1,050 flight delays at O'Hare, including 11 cancellations, according to tracking app FlightAware. Midway Airport saw 216 delays and 34 cancellations as of 4:20 p.m.
Forecasters say 3 to 6 inches of rain could fall in parts of the Chicago area overnight into early Saturday.
Additional storms will develop this evening and especially overnight. With such a humid airmass in place, any storm will produce torrential rain rates with a threat for flash flooding. If you live in a flood prone area, ensure you have multiple ways to get warnings tonight. pic.twitter.com/2pHhQU1DBm
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) July 25, 2025
“We have numerous reports of flooded viaducts, which is pretty typical with this kind of rainfall that we saw,” Borchardt added.
Chicago saw similar flooding in early July when it rained 5 inches in total in central Cook County, Borchardt said.
Saturday will see scattered storms with a high of 86 and a low of 72, ABC7 meteorologist Cheryl Scott says. There is a chance of localized flooding north of I-80, the weather service said. Sunday will be muggy with a high of 88 and a low of 74.