Severe Weather Pummels Area

By Margaret Lyons in News on Jun 9, 2008 4:06PM

More severe storms battered our area this morning, and after a weekend of some rough weather, there's still more to come. There's a flash-flood watch for Chicago and Romeoville, thanks to a "slow-moving frontal boundary" and "abundant low-level moisture." Steamy! After today's tropical sweatiness, though, a cooler front should be heading into the region.

Over the weekend, over 200,000 ComEd customers were without power, penny-sized hail fell in Elgin, winds were measured near Rockford at 60 mph, and five tornadoes touched down in the suburbs. I-57 was closed much of the weekend after powerlines fell onto the roadway, but is back in action now.

Today's word of the day is seiche (sounds like "saysch"), which is a standing-wave oscillation in a closed lake--ie, water sloshing around within Lake Michigan. There's a lakeshore seiche warning in effect right now, so be on the lookout for rising water, and avoid putzing around on your tiny boat today.[Trib, USA Today, CBS 2, S-T, WBBM]