Heavy downpours inundated the Chicago metropolitan area early Sunday, dumping 2 to 5 inches of rain and triggering a Flash Flood Warning for Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall and Will counties until 7:15 a.m. Central Time. Water pooled in numerous low-lying viaducts, stranding vehicles near West 47th Street and South Archer Avenue as well as West 75th Street and South Western Avenue, while a stretch of the Stevenson Expressway was temporarily closed at Pulaski Road before reopening. The National Weather Service’s Chicago office measured rain rates of 2–3 inches an hour, cautioning that the intensity would overwhelm storm sewers, flood basements and cause rapid rises in creeks and streams. The agency expects the stormy, warm pattern to persist through at least mid-week, although drier and cooler conditions are projected to arrive by Wednesday. Elsewhere in the Upper Midwest, forecasters warned that additional rounds of slow-moving thunderstorms could bring similar hazards. The Milwaukee office of the National Weather Service said Monday could see rainfall in excess of two inches an hour, while meteorologists in the Twin Cities anticipate renewed storms Sunday night with a primary threat of heavy rain and localized flash flooding. Although widespread river flooding is not anticipated, officials urged residents across the region to monitor forecasts and avoid water-covered roads.