Break In Weather Expected Sunday After Storms, Flooding
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A break in the weather was in order for Sunday, but the day before was a tale of two Saturdays.
Skies were sunny and summery on Saturday morning, but everything changed in the afternoon – with two rounds of storms striking the area and bringing flooding, tornado warnings, and major damage.
Northwest of Chicago, torrential downpours in Hampshire, Illinois, caused Coon Creek to swell – flooding the intersection of Route 72 and State Street.
People risked driving through the streets. One man even paddled through on a raft after winds died down.
Justin Fulbright watched the storm roll into Hampshire just a little bit to the west. He didn't see any tornadoes, but still said it was pretty intense.
"Well the rain was coming down by the bucketfuls," he said. "The wind was blowing, so everything was just kind of blowing right in through our windows and almost couldn't see across the street."
Meanwhile in Huntley, a torrential downpour overwhelmed the sewer system. Streets were left flooded just hours after people were out buying fruits and vegetables at the Saturday farmers' market.
To the south, there was serious damage in Joliet. It was a close call for some people inside their homes when the bad weather hit.
I think any time a tree this size comes down and you can see the entire roots structure it stops people their tracks," said Joliet resident Lisa Dorothy.
Dorothy's house has become a bit of an attraction. The roots of the tree lay bare at the foot of her yard, its reach catching one of her windows as its casualty, just narrowly missing her home.
"People are like, after two months in the house it's pretty exciting. I could use a little less excitement than this," she said.
A tornado warning was issued for the Joliet area Saturday afternoon, and warning sirens were sounded. And indeed it was not safe to be outside.
"As I was sitting in the car a tree two doors down came flying out in front of my car and landed on the hood," said Roy Mason.
As CBS 2's Marissa Parra reported Saturday night, trees tumbled, and many of them took power lines down with them.
"My neighbors are yelling, 'Don't get out! Don't get out! There's a live wire on the ground!'" he said.
Those trees caused at least 22,000 reported power outages around the Joliet area, causing confusion at intersections and concern over what this means in a pandemic.
"It's going to be stinking hot this week," said Dorothy. "We're all working from home. If I don't have power, I can't work from home."
Meanwhile, many roads lining Interstate 80/94 in the south suburbs and Northwest Indiana were underwater.
In Munster, Indiana, the roof of a car was left barely visible as it got submerged under a flooded viaduct. Nearby, hail hammered windows and cars kicked up waves.
Just north of Munster, there was a similar scene in Hammond. A handful of cars were stuck on 165th Street between Columbia and Indianapolis Boulevard.
And it wasn't just the rain that came down. So did trees. In Hammond, a tree landed on a house on Kennedy Avenue.
For Sunday, CBS 2 Meteorologist Tim McGill reported there could be a stray storm in the afternoon with humidity building. Otherwise, there will be lots of sunshine with temperatures climbing to the mid-80s.
However, a flood warning remains in effect for area rivers.
