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Heat Wave Expands to the East Coast; Flash Flooding Likely in the Central Plains into the Midwest; Severe Thunderstorms in the Northeast

Dangerous, prolonged heat is ongoing in the Mid-South to Mid-Mississippi Valley and heat expands into the Northeast for a brief period today. Widely scattered instances of flash flooding due to heavy rains are forecast from northeast Kansas to much of Indiana. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are possible across parts of New England, northern Mid-Atlantic, and North Dakota. Read More >

Overview

Fast Facts:

  • There were multiple rounds of thunderstorms across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana on Monday, September 3 (Labor Day), with multiple strong to severe thunderstorms during the afternoon.
  • The most impacting aspects of this event are shown to the right, including flooding, wind damage, and possibly a couple brief, weak tornadoes.
  • A storm tracked from northwest Ogle County to near Rockford in Winnebago County, with low-level rotation and multiple low funnels.  While a preliminary brief tornado was reported in Rock Cut State Park, there was no damage found in the park. 
  • A strong downburst, as evidenced by radar and the tree damage, occurred in Wayne, IL (DuPage County).
  • A brief weak tornado occurred on the west side of Chicago during the afternoon.
  • Flooding occurred in parts of the northern and northwestern Chicago metro area, including road closures such as I-190 near O'Hare Airport.
  • This was the wettest Labor Day on record in Chicago, with measured 24-hour rainfall of 1.79" at O'Hare topping the Chicago record of 1.49" in 1912.



Summary
Overview
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Additional recaps can be found on the NWS Chicago Past Events Page
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