Most of northern Illinois under flash flood watch through Saturday morning

The National Weather Service in Chicago has placed most of northern Illinois under a flash flood watch through Saturday morning.

The flash flood watch area includes the following Illinois counties: DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, La Salle, Lee, Grundy eastern and northern Will and central and southern Cook.

Several rounds of torrential rainfall producing thunderstorms are forecast to move through northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana Friday and into early Saturday morning. Additional rounds of thunderstorms may occur into early Sunday morning, as well, which may prompted the NWS to extend the flash flood watch.

Brian Leatherwood, a NWS staff meteorologist in Romeoville, said the most significant rainfall accumulations over the next 24 hours are expected along the I-80 corridor in the north central potion of the state, extending east to I-90.

Some isolated areas in the region along I-80 could see as much as four to five-and-a-half inches of total rainfall from storms Friday and Saturday, he said.

Rainfall totals for the two-day period in far northern counties should be less, ranging from about one inch to one-and-a-half inches, according to Leatherwood.

Leatherwood said the NWS expects the current weather pattern to continue into Saturday and then become somewhat drier on Sunday.

The NWS forecast for northern Illinois for Friday calls for mostly cloudy, warm and humid conditions with clusters of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms may produce heavy downpours.

On Saturday, the NWS is also forecasting mostly cloudy conditions with the possibility of showers and thunderstorms. Warm and humid conditions will also continue with a high temperature expected near 80 degrees.

The rains may result in flooding of low-lying areas including farm fields, ditches, and roadway. Additionally, rises in water levels in rivers and streams are possible, according to the NWS. The flash flood watch means rapid-onset flooding is possible, but not yet certain, based upon the latest forecasts.

In a statement, the NWS noted that flash flooding is a dangerous situation. Persons with interests along area rivers, creeks, and other waterways should monitor the latest forecasts and be prepared to take action should flooding develop, according to the NWS.