Lake Arlington level soars after a baker's foot of rain
So far August, 2007 has brought an unprecedented 13.25" of rain to my Arlington Heights rain gauge. Yesterday's storms were as prolonged and intense as any that I can remember. The neighborhood is littered with large branches and limbs after winds of 70+ m.p.h. roared through yesterday afternoon. Standing water is everywhere and retention basins are brim-full after the unrelenting downpours.
As Tom Skilling mentioned last night on his TV weathercast and also on this morning's Tribune weather page, the severity of yesterday's storms in terms of the vast expanse of the metropolitan area that was affected is one of the greatest in memory.
The scope of the damage brought back memories of a derecho that swept the Chicago area in similar fashion 42 years ago across the midnight hours of August 26-27, 1965, but that storm was a "hit-and-run" job and not part of a week-long siege of deluges like the region is currently experiencing.
That memorable storm will be revisited as the subject of the main feature on Monday August 27th's Tribune weather page and on this blog .
Partially submerged bench on Monday August 20 when monthly rainfall stood at 10"+
Photo by Steve Kahn
Same bench on Friday August 24 with monthly rainfall now at 13.25".
Photo by Steve Kahn
Snowy egret surveys the flooded Lake Arlington shoreline
Photo by Steve Kahn