Flooding Closes Roads, Inundates Yards and Basements in Northbrook

As of 1:30 p.m., Northbrook has received over 3.5 inches of rain and has experienced flooding in various parts of the Village. As of now, much of the flooding has begun to recede and nearly all of the streets are now passable. However, the level of the river remains high and there continues to be some ponding in the streets on the west side of town. Public Works crews have been working to remove barricades and reopen roadways as they become passable.

The Cherry Lane underpass remains closed however, a crew is currently working to clear the roadway and will reopen the underpass as soon as they are able.

The forecast for the remainder of the day is calling for up to an additional .3 inches of rain between now and 9:00 p.m. Crews will continue to monitor and respond to requests for service as they are received.

Public Works crews have now responded to 70 calls for service, of which 4 have related to basement flooding and the remainder due to street or yard flooding. The Fire Department has responded to 7 flooding related calls (5 flooded basements and 2  vehicles in water). The Police Department has worked with the Public Works Department to investigate over 30 calls relating to street flooding and in total received approximately 165 calls to 911 about flooding. Residents or businesses that may need assistance can contact the Police non-emergency number (847-564-2060) and Public Works will be paged and assist as needed.

ComEd continues to work to resolve power outages in the region. Currently, there are fewer than 25 customers in Northbrook without power across 4 open outages.

We will continue to provide updates as the situation changes.

As of 8:45 a.m. this morning we have received approximately 3.3 inches of rain over roughly 4 hours. During this storm we experienced peak rain rates of as much as 6.5 inches per hour and an average rainfall rate during the first hour of the storm of 3.7 inches per hour. This volume of water quickly inundated the storm sewer system and preventing it from taking additional volumes of water.

The current forecast shows that rain will likely continue throughout the day and into the evening, with approximately .6 inches forecasted. The current radar picture is below.

Public Works has all crews out responding to flooding calls. As of this morning Public Works has taken a total of more than 60 calls, 3 of which were basement and the rest street or yard flooding. Public Works and Police worked to respond to road closures at more than 30 locations due to street flooding. Fire has also responded to 9 weather related calls (4 alarms, 3 check hazards, and 2 vehicles in water). Public Works has sandbags available at the Public Works Center (655 Huehl Road) for residents who may wish to pick them up.

We currently have about 30 customers without power across 5 open outages, down from a peak of 260. Residents should contact ComEd to report their outages at 1-800-Edison1. Residents can also use ComEd’s website (https://www.comed.com/CUSTOMER-SERVICE/OUTAGE-INFORMATION/Pages/default.aspx) to stay informed.  

We will continue to update as the situation changes.

The Cherry Lane underpass was barricaded closed earlier this morning, according to Northbrook Communications Manager Cheryl Fayne. She also said that one of the village trustees reported flooding and at least a partial closure at the intersection of Skokie Boulevard and Dundee Road.

She urged drivers to use caution and allow extra time for travel.

“Our public works crews are out working on different areas in town putting up barricades as needed,” she said.

Crews are also making sure sewer inlets are clear.

“Residents are welcome to pitch in if they notice their drains clogged with leaves,” she said.

On the Northbrook Patch Facebook page, Julie Gibson said Shermer Road by the Metra station looked very bad this morning.

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