ChicagoTribune.com:  Those looking for some kind of break from the heat of the last week got it overnight - a rainstorm that dropped temperatures into the low 70s, but like the heatwave that preceded it, this rainstorm was anything but ordinary.  According to the ChicagoWeatherCenter.com, the total rainfall at O'Hare - 6.91 inches as of about 6:50 am - is the largest single day rainfall since records began in 1871.  The highest previous daily total was 6.64 inches on September 12, 2008, and more rain is on the way.  There were rainfall totals as high as 7 inches as the storm moved noisily through the Chicago area after midnight, resulting in flash flood warnings from the national weather service and enough flooded roads and highways to make life miserable for passengers headed to or from O'Hare International Airport and make a mess of traffic overnight and into Saturday morning.  The north side got the brunt of the rain, with O'Hare International Airport getting 5.53 inches in two hours, according to ChicagoWeatherCenter.com.  Some other totals of note reported by the Weather Center:  6.41 inches in Glenview, 5.4 inches in Arlington Heights, and 5.49 inches in Elk Grove Village.  At Little Village Academy on Chicago's west side, the total was 7.84 inches, and the rain still hasn't left town for good.  More rain is expected when some storms move in from the west.  The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District opened the locks at Wilmette and the Chicago River downtown this morning, according to the Chicago Park District.  Because opening the locks causes backflow of storm runoff and sewage into the lake, precautionary swim bans were put into effect at all beaches along the Chicago Lake front until test results show low levels of bacteria in the water.  The rain also flooded the Winnetka Public Library's lower level with about two feet of water, according to a press release from the library, closing the building today and tomorrow at least.  No library materials were affected because the damage was primarily limited to staff areas.  The Northfield Branch Library remains open.  The storm also interrupted electrical service for some.  About noon ComEd reported that about 74,000 customers were without power:  40,000 north of the city, 27,000 in Chicago, and 3,000 west and south of the city.  The utility, which has about 350 crews out working to restore power, said that more than 150,000 customers experienced power outages at some point.  Among areas affected at one point was Grant Park, where the absence of working traffic lights added to the day's traffic woes.

Commentary:  It continues nonstop.  Over 400 tornadoes already this season throughout the US, record flooding of the Mississippi, which affected numerous states, more flooding throughout the US, wildfires here in the US, as well as throughout the world.  Do you see the same picture of disasters I am seeing?  These are predicted in the Word of God for the last days, "Know this, that in the last days perilous times will come" 2 Timothy 3:1.  "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and distress of nations upon the earth with perplexity, the sea and waves roaring" Luke 21:25.  The world hasn't seen flooding and tsunamis in our day like those suffered during the Katrina storm in Louisiana and the tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan.  We are seeing Bible prophecy unfold before our eyes.