The Day After: Your Morning Flood Update

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 19, 2013 1:50PM

Here's an example of what homeowners along the banks of the Chicago River's north branch are dealing with. (Photo credit: Rotating Frame)

- Here are some road closures that can mess with your commute, per the Tribune.

• I-290: Ramps to North Avenue in both directions and the westbound ramp to Lake Street.
• I-94: Closed from the split at Interstate 57 to 147th Street in both directions.
• I-55: Traffic is being diverted off at Interstate 80 because of flooding just north of Route 6.
• Foster Avenue: Closed between Pulaski Road and Central Park Avenue.

- The Sun-Times reports the floodwaters made their way to at least 1,200 homes in Chicago and thousands more in the suburbs.

- The BNSF Metra rail was delayed this morning after winds toppled power lines. [Sun-Times]

- The Chicago River is expected to return to normal levels by Friday afternoon. [National Weather Service] R

- Rivers in suburban areas continue to rise. The Fox River at Algonquin is expected to peak at 13.4 feet by Monday. As of 6 p.m. Thursday, the levels were 11.93 feet. [Northwest Herald]

- The town of Marseilles is fighting floods this morning after a levee broke in several places. [CBS Chicago]

- A car was pulled into a sinkhole in St. Charles. [NBC Chicago]

- As for the sinkhole that swallowed three cars and injured one person at 96th Street and Houston Avenue Thursday, a broken water main started the chain of events that led to it. WGN TV has footage of the sinkhole claiming the cars.

- But Anthony Randzzo, professor emeritus at the University of Florida’s geological science department and president of Geohazards, Inc, which consults on sinkhole issues, says it's actually a giant pothole. [WBEZ]