A band of violent thunderstorms brought high winds, heavy rain and localized flooding to parts of northern Illinois Wednesday evening.

The storms triggered a flash flood warning for Winnebago, Boone, McHenry and Lake counties, where some localities reported more than four inches of rain, said NWS meteorologist Casey Sullivan in Romeoville.

“We’ve had some places with more than an inch of rain in 20 minutes,” Sullivan said Wednesday night.

Sullivan said the flooding appeared worst in Winnebago County, where high water closed one road in South Beloit and several streets in Roscoe.

Winnebago County Deputy Sheriff Greg Bannister said there also was street flooding in Machesney Park, and that a small fire was reported when lightning struck a large electrical sign for a business there.

Bannister said lightning also caused a small house fire in Rockford.

“Trees are down across streets in a lot of places, so the officers are very busy,” Bannister said.

One wind gust in Woodstock was measured at 67 mph, Sullivan said, but the McHenry County Sheriff’s department reported no major storm damage as of about 9 p.m.

Gregg Cunningham of the Chicago Department of Aviation said the evening storms were causing delays averaging 90 minutes in flights in and out of O’Hare International Airport, where some flights had been canceled.

He said some flights at Midway Airport had been delayed by 30 to 60 minutes, but there were not major cancellations to report.