Evening thunderstorms put the area under a flash flood warning days after weekend storms flooded homes and roadways across the city and suburbs.
Chicago, Cicero and south suburban Orland Park were under a flood warning until 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The area of the warning includes a population of more than 3 million, 900 schools and nearly 60 hospitals. Residents and visitors were asked to move to higher ground and avoid walking or driving through flooded areas.
Widespread “potentially life-threatening” flooding swamped the city on Sunday, leaving dozens of homes and infrastructure impacted. Around 5,000 ComEd customers across the city experienced power interruptions.
The weather service said scattered thunderstorms Wednesday were due to a cold front moving through the area. A few strong to severe storms with damaging wind gusts were expected, along with warm and humid conditions before the storms.
Temperatures were expected to reach the upper 80s to low 90s with an afternoon heat index in the mid-90s.
Also Wednesday, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an air pollution action day for the 13th time in 2023, after ozone and particulate levels registered as unhealthy for those with respiratory and pulmonary conditions.
Residents of Chicago and surrounding areas are asked to reduced pollution levels by finding cleaner ways of transportation, including reducing the number of vehicles on the roadways, conserving energy use at home and reducing the release of any smoke into the air.
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