April 18, 2024
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Will County weather woes continue with cold, possibly snow on the way

Tuesday’s rainfall also contributed to flooding issues in parts of the county

By Alex Ortiz
romeoville, joliet, weather, rain

Rain falls on Romeo Road in Romeoville on Feb. 22, 2022. The Joliet area received about an inch of rain which combined with melted snow caused flooding issues around the county. (Alex Ortiz)

Following weeks of cold temperatures and snow, the Joliet area got a short reprieve this week with warmer weather but more precipitation.

The higher temperatures were short-lived though with cold, and maybe even snow, on the way, according to the National Weather Service.

The Joliet area saw about an inch of rain on Tuesday, NWS meteorologist Brett Borchardt said. That’s on top of the several inches of snow that had fallen in recent weeks and melted.

Borchardt said significant amounts of water on the ground was causing a lot of ponding in the area, especially in farm fields, ditches and any low lying spots on roads and elsewhere.

romeoville, joliet, weather, rain

Rain falls on Romeo Road in Romeoville on Feb. 22, 2022. The Joliet area received about an inch of rain which combined with melted snow caused flooding issues around the county. (Alex Ortiz)

“Water is just going to collect in those areas,” Borchardt said.

Local emergency agencies had to be on alert, especially in the southwestern part of the county near the Kankakee River.

The Wilmington Fire Protection District said Tuesday it observed ice jamming near the Phelan Acres subdivision with “significant ice movement,” according to a news release. The ice movement causes rapid flash flooding in parts of the subdivision surrounding homes and covering roadways.

Residents in the affected area were sent notifications to evacuate.

While the added precipitation caused its own set of problems on Tuesday, the NWS is forecasting a return to cold temperatures and even a chance of snow later this week.

Borchardt said a cold front was expected to hit the Joliet area late Tuesday and stay through much of the week. He said the temperature will “drop like a rock.”

Heavy snow starts at the beginning of the evening rush hour along North Larkin Avenue. Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Joliet.

Heavy snow starts at the beginning of the evening rush hour along North Larkin Avenue. Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Joliet. (Gary Middendorf - gmiddendorf@shawmedia.com/Gary Middendorf)

The NWS forecast calls for a high of just 27 degrees on Wednesday and 29 degrees on Thursday. In addition, Borchardt said the wind chill could make temperature feel more like it was in the single digits.

Borchardt added there is a chance for snow to fall between Thursday night into Friday morning. As of Tuesday, the NWS forecast pegged the chance of snow for late Thursday at 80%.

Borchardt said the forecast represents a return to winter weather and serves as a reminder the region “could still get hit pretty hard with” cold temperatures and snow through March.

For the latest forecast, visit weather.gov.