Torrential Rain Pummels North Side (PHOTOS)

Torrential overnight rain has left some on the city's North Side wading through puddles, others scooping out their lower levels and others still, late for work.

Chicago had received 3.77 inches of rain as of 9:45 a.m. That's compared with 6.69 inches—the most in metropolitan area, which fell in Oak Brook. A flood watch claiming "widespread flooding is likely" remains in effect for Chicago through Friday morning, said National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Seeley.

DuPage County saw the worst of the storm, she confirmed. But that doesn't mean we don't have severe flooding here in Bucktown and Wicker Park.

Staff in 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack's office said they've been drowning in water-related calls all morning. Workers were pumping water around 10 a.m. from an overflowing Bucktown lot on the north side of Armitage and Wilmot avenues.

Massive flooding was also reported in nearby Lincoln Park at West School and North Leavitt streets, West Dickens Avenue and North Leavitt Street, as well as the viaduct under the Metra at Wrightwood and Clybourn avenues.

It's those areas where you may find Waguespack, himself. He brought his shovel and rubber boots to the office today, staff said. 

"He's doing triage field work," a receptionist joked.

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In the neighborhood, drain restrictions were causing some standing water. Some of those stoppers were installed to slow the flow of water and prevent basements from flooding. The standing water should continue to recede throughout the day, officials said. In other cases, leaves or mulch were clogging sewers.

"We're just cleaning up the covers to get everything down," Waguespack said around 11 a.m., when he had already been to Bucktown and Lincoln Park, and was on his way to Roscoe Village. "We basically have to dig down in there and if it's not going down the right way, we have to call in for the catch basin."

Flooding issues are not specific to local streets. 

Jim Poole, 47th Ward Ald. Ameya Pawar's community specialist, said he’d been fielding calls about standing water all morning. 

Earlier Thursday, a geyser erupted in nearby Lincoln Square at Lawrence and Ravenswood avenues, causing water to flow up from the street. Poole said the manhole cover was re-secured before the road was reopened.

Aldermen and those from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District are also keeping an eye on areas near the Chicago River. The MRWD opened all locks on the North Branch to prevent more flooding, temporarily causing the river to flow backwards, officials said.

Although the Kennedy Expressway was open in both directions as of 9:30 a.m., standing water was slowing traffic. The highway had been closed earlier in the morning, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.

The Edens remained closed around 9:45 a.m. toward the northern suburbs but reopened around 11 a.m. Prior to that, tt was impassible in both directions between Lake Street and Dundee Road. 

Although more rain will drip throughout the day, most of it should be over, Seeley said shortly after 9:30 a.m. 

"It looks like we've seen the worst of it right now," she said, adding that the storm was caused by a weather system moving up from the southern planes as a warm front approached. "Most of the heavy rain is moving off to the east. We'll still have a chance of rain this afternoon, but it will be lighter in intensity." 

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