Rain tapers off but flooding continues: weather service

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - The Chicago area will get a break from consistent rainfall that’s caused flooding and pushed the city’s sewer system to capacity, according to forecasts.

A few showers and a potential thunderstorm are expected Wednesday afternoon, mainly in areas south of Interstate 55, the National Weather Service said. Additional showers and storms are expected Thursday.

The Chicago River is under a flood advisory until late Wednesday, according to the weather service. A section of the Des Plaines River in Irving Park on the Northwest Side may also see some flooding.

Although the rain is expected to slow down, river levels will high remain for several days, the weather service said.

Friday is forecast to be mostly dry, with a high around 64 degrees, according to the weather service.

Cook County has seen more than 3.8 inches of rain on average since Saturday.

The last few days of rainfall have pushed the county’s water reservoir systems to capacity, which threatens to send excess polluted water into fresh water sources, such as the Chicago River, according to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago.