City, Suburbs Under Flash Flood Watch

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago and area counties will be under a flash flood watch throughout Monday.

Counties named in the National Weather Service alert include Cook, Lake, Kane and DuPage, according to the National Weather Service. The watch will begin at 7 a.m. and last until 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Periods of thunderstorms from Monday morning through the evening across northern Illinois could produce "very heavy rainfall," according to NWS.

In Chicago, showers and thunderstorms are expected to start after 9 a.m. and could drop between a half to three-quarters of an inch of rain, the weather service said.

Rainfall over the past week in northern Illinois has "nearly saturated" the ground in many areas, creating a good set-up for rapid flooding, the weather service said. The heaviest rainfall could impact the late afternoon and early evening commute.