After five consecutive days of rain that caused rivers in the area to rise, Wednesday could bring dry conditions with some sunshine, meteorologists say, but not before the possibility of another unwelcome weather occurrence – frost.
“(Wednesday) during the day looks dry across the Chicago metro, and winds will be light, so at least it will feel different,” said Matt Friedlein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Some areas may see sunshine during the morning hours, he said.
But overnight Tuesday into Wednesday there is a chance of patchy frost in western Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties, he said. Temperatures could dip into the 30s overnight, forecasters say. But some areas, including downtown Chicago, likely will not cool to the point of producing frost, Friedlein said.
Though conditions should be dry in and around Chicago, heavy rain could return as far north as Kankakee late Wednesday night into Thursday, Friedlein said.
Meanwhile, rivers that had risen in recent days appear to have crested — meaning water levels have risen as high as they are going to and have started receding, according to Will County Emergency Management Agency Director Harold Damron. In Shorewood, the DuPage River crested before midnight, he said.
Lake County officials are “not really” concerned about the rain, because it has not had “that much of an impact,” said Bob Gardiner, a rainfall analyst with the Lake County Storm Water Management Commission. The county received an average of 0.15 inches Monday, he said.
“There is some local ponding,” he said. “It’s as bad as it’s going to get.”
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Roads across the area had patches of flooding, the officials said. In Lincolnshire, there was minor flooding Monday from the Des Plaines River, Gardiner said.
In Will County, there were incidents in Bolingbrook and Wilmington where drivers underestimated the depth of the water and attempted to drive through it and got stuck, Damron said.
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter.