More than a dozen motorists stranded by heavier than expected downpour Tuesday night on West Side
More than a dozen motorists were stranded by heavier than expected rain throughout Chicago Tuesday night
"We literally carried some folks out on our backs as firemen waded into the water and got close to cars," Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said. "Sometimes people had gotten out, other times they just didn’t want to get in the water, so they climbed out of the car and we got them."
The heaviest rain pummeled a five block radius near the United Center on the Near West Side when five inches fell from 8:55 p.m. to 10:25 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The downpour caused roads to flood, including a viaduct at Ogden and Western avenues that prompted multiple fire department responses to the area.
"The Near West Side was particularly bad," Langford added. "[The storm] just kept pouring water in inch after inch."
Initially, forecasters projected rainfall totals to be roughly 1-to-2 inches with more falling in local areas. Once meteorologists saw that rain totals were surpassing what was projected, a Flash Flood Warning was issued around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday.
"All the storms last night were just slow moving and one just kind of anchored in around the city," David King, a meteorologist with the weather service said. "It's really the rain rate with this thing that was just so incredible [and] that caused flash flooding in the city."
King urged drivers to turn around when faced with flooded roadways.
"It's always worth the longer commute as opposed to getting stuck in the water," King said.