Published by admin on Tue, 01/16/2024 - 5:34pm
The Kankakee River backed up over 6.5 feet Monday, flooding yards and low-lying areas in Phelan Acres, Kelly and Cottage Roads in rural Wilmington.
Rapid river ice formations early Monday near Bardwell Island and Phelan Acres caused the river to rise from 4.42 feet at 11:30 a.m. to 5.7 feet at the Wilmington gauge just upstream from Interstate 55.
That ice dam broke free just after 2 p.m. and by 5 p.m. Monday the river returned to 4.15 feet. But the worst was yet to come.