Flash Flood in Illinois, July 17 to 18, 1996

Record breaking rainfall fell over parts of north central and northeast Illinois on the 17th and 18th of July which resulted in unprecedented flash flooding. The heaviest rain, in excess of 5 inches, fell in a cordidor from near Rockford through Aurora and Joliet to the south suburbs of Chicago. The 16.91 inches that fell at Aurora set a 24 hour record for the state of Illinois. Other rainfal amounts included in 8.08 inches at Midway Airport in Chicago, 10.09 inches at Willow Springs, 8.25 inches at Park Forest (all in Cook County), 8.12 inches at DeKalb (DeKalb County), 9.27 inches at Wheaton (DuPage County), 5.65 at Momence (Kankakee County), 6.07 at Dayton (LaSalle County), 4.99 at Paw Paw (Lee County), 5.20 at Rochelle (Ogle County), 10.36 at the NWS office in Romeoville (Will County), and 7.43 at Rockford (Winnebago County). Eleven northeast Illinois counties were declared a federal disaster. Some 14 USGS gaging sites recorded all-time record streamflows. The recurrence interval for a rainfall of this magnitude has been extrapolated to exceed the 1,000 year threshold. According to Illinois Emergency Management Agency and FEMA, there were over 70,000 disaster assistance applications received. A totoal of $103,500,000 in disaster housing grants were issued, $49,300,000 in home/personal property small business loans were approved and $6,400,000 in small business loans were approved. There was also over 2 million dollars in state grants approved. Crop damages were likely in the tens of millions. Heavy rain began in the far west and southwest suburbs during the late morning of the 17th and continued through the day. During the evening heavy rains developed in the Rockford and Dekalb areas. Then more thunderstorms with torrential rain pounded the west and southwest suburbs of Chicago again overnight and into the morning of the 18th. Numerous creeks and streams reached record levels late on the 17th and on the 18th. Numerous major roads and highways were impassible. Interstate 55 was closed in two places and a section of I-88 was closed due to flood waters. The Burlington Northern Railroad was shut down when a section of the railroad bed was washed out by flood waters. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were flooded. Numerous cars were swept off roads into raging creeks and drainage ditches. Many people had to be evacuated from their homes, some by boat or helicopter. There were two deaths directly attributed to the flood. A 20 year old man and his cousin went swimming in Hickory Creek in Joliet and were swept away by the current. One man was able to climb out, the other drowned. A 61 year old man drowned in Channahon when he tried to check on neighbors at riverfront property. There were 3 indirect deaths. A 39 year old man was electrocuted while trying to restore elecrical power to a home in Montgomery. Two men died of heart attacks during clean up efforts.All of the major streams in northern Illinois were affected. Here is some specific information for each watershed. Along the DuPage River, flooding inundated homes and downtown businesses in Naperville, Warrenville and Bolingbrook. Extensive flooding of businesses and residences was experienced along the DuPage River from Bolingbrook to Channahon. Some Plainfield residents were rescued by boat. For a time the entire village of Plainfield was isolated due to floodwaters. Some vehicles were swept into ditches. In Shorewood, firefighters attempted to rescue flood victims by boat. When their boat tipped over, they had to be rescued by helicopter. The DuPage River at Shorewood crested at nearly 5 feet higher than the previous record crest. A section of I-55 was closed between Joliet and Plainfield due to flood waters from the DuPage River. Channahon was completely isolated for a time due to flood waters. Flooding washed out sections of a spillway on a dam that supplies water to the I&M canal. A walkbridge at a state park over the river in Channahon was washed out. The I&M canal covered I-55 north of Route 6 for a time. There was also extensive flooding of homes and businesses from Rock Run Creek and Hickory Creek in Will County. Flooding of Aux Sable Creek in Grundy County inundated the Shady Oaks Trailer Court in Minooka. Many residents had to be evacuated. The Little Calumet river flooded roads and homes in southern Cook County around South Holland. The heaviest rain fell over the lower Fox River watershed. Unprecedented flooding occurred in southern Kane, Kendall and northern LaSalle Counties. In Yorkville, flash flooding along Blackberry Creek washed out a section of River Road. In Aurora, an estimated 60% of homes were affected by flooding. Interstate 88 was closed due to high water. In Sheridan, a home was washed away by the swift current of the Fox River. In Dayton, floodwaters breached a section of the levee at the hydro electric plant dam. The raging waters scoured out some secondary roads near the dam and left gravel and sand deposits 10 to 20 feet deep in the wake of the flood. Major damge occurrred to the powerhouse at the dam. Flash flooding also occurred in the Rock River Basin. Many bridges over secondary roads were washed out or damaged in north central Illinois. Many state roads were under water. In Sycamore, the Kishwaukee River inundated the Evergreen Village Mobile Park and residents had to be evacuated by boat. Downstream in Kirkland, residents were evacuated from Congess Lake Estates Mobile Home Park. Flash Flooding of Bull Run Creek washed out 300 feet of railroad track in Kirkland.This was the worst flood disaster ever for northeast Illinois.