A flood warning continued for much of central Illinois Tuesday, with specific flood warnings for the Sangamon River at Monticello, the Vermilion River near Danville, road closures in towns including Villa Grove and Sidney and standing water on roads in many other spots of the state.
Heavy rains have caused flooding in several areas, including the Embarras River at Villa Grove, the Vermilion River near Danville and the Sangamon River at Monticello.
Mayor Bob Harwood said the city is starting see flood waters recede after experiencing its worst conditions since January 2008. A few hundred residents could return home early next week.
Conditions in the Iroquois County city look a bit like they were in January 2008, when about 1,500 residents were forced from their homes. The Iroquois River was about 6.5 feet above flood stage as of Sunday.
There was no shortage of rain this month, but rather a shortage of drainage solutions. Collectively, Illinois received 8.9 inches of rainfall in June making it the wettest June on record and the fourth wettest month in the state's history according to records dating back to 1895. Currently, the wettest month on record happened in September of 1926 when 9.26 inches of rainfall fell over Illinois.
