Overnight downpours left their mark as a much-needed rainmaker passed through eastern Iowa and western Illinois and into the Chicago area.
The rain that fell Monday night, August 4, swamped downtown streets. Video sent overnight to News 8 shows stranded motorists and other drivers trying to get through the deep waters in Sterling.
"Driving through flood waters is dangerous," says "Good Morning Quad Cities" meteorologist Eric Sorensen.
"About a foot can float a car and six inches of fast moving water can sweep you off your feet," he adds.
The National Weather Service says about an inch fell in 90-minutes Monday night. But some areas may have seen more rain between 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.
That weather system moved east to Chicago where the Eisenhower Expressway was shutdown due to flooding.
It took hours but Sterling's streets and Chicago's highways drained early enough to leave no lasting impact for drivers.