CHICAGO — Chicago firefighters rescued several people – including a mother and her baby – from cars submerged by Wednesday morning’s flash floods.

Approximately 2 to 4 inches of rain fell on parts of Chicago’s South Side early Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

The heavy rains filled sewers, which spilled over and flooded streets, particularly in areas beneath overpasses, according to Larry Langford, a spokesman for the fire department.

A mother and her baby were rescued from their car at Paxton Avenue between 94th and 95th streets. Water rose rapidly at 95th Street and South Cottage Grove where a man was rescued from his nearly submerged station wagon. Nearby, sewers filled with water so fast that they were geysers, spouting water 1 to 2 feet up in the air.

There were no reported injuries, Langford said.

A flood watch was issued early Wednesday for areas between downtown Chicago and the suburbs southwest of the city.

In Chicago, the Streets and Sanitation department put up barricades and rerouted traffic.

The rain from the past two days has made it easier for flooding to occur, said Tim Halbach, a meteorologist in the Chicago office of the National Weather Service.