Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
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037 FXUS63 KILX 020400 AFDILX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Lincoln IL 1100 PM CDT Sat Jun 1 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Showers and isolated storms come to an end this evening, turning things dry for Sunday. - There is a 10-30% chance for patchy dense fog tonight. - Additional chances for showers and storms return early next week, including the possibility for some severe storms. && .UPDATE... Issued at 808 PM CDT Sat Jun 1 2024 A weak area of low pressure was meandering east over the northern sections of the ILX CWA this evening. Most of the showers over the past few hours have been confined to a narrow convergence zone near and east of the IL River, and another area south of I-70. These will continue to diminish over the next few hours with most of the area dry before midnight. Low clouds look to blanket the region tonight. There is a good setup for fog to our west tonight as ridging approaches the Mississippi Valley by sunrise, but guidance suggests any dense fog stays west of the area and will keep a mention of patchy fog in the forecast. Will see a northwest to southeast gradient on lows as cold advection works in late, for lows in the upper 50s west of the IL River to the mid 60s in SE IL. 25 && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 232 PM CDT Sat Jun 1 2024 Surface analysis early this afternoon depicts a broad area of ~1012 mb low pressure centered over western IL. Widely scattered showers are tied to this feature and will continue through at least early evening before pushing east into Indiana. Instability on the order of a few hundred J/kg may lead to a few thunderstorms this afternoon, especially where pockets of sunshine peak through and lead to locally higher CAPE. A few cold air funnels have been reported in western Illinois near the Mississippi River just before 2 pm where wind shear is weak and lapse rates are moderately steep. The non-supercell tornado parameter has a bullseye of 2 over western Illinois near the Mississippi River, with pockets nearing 1 west of I-55 (values of 1 or greater are usually pretty good for cold air funnels). Wouldn`t be suprised if we get a few reports of funnels across the area this afternoon before instability wanes this evening. A brief upper shortwave ridge slides into the area for the second half of the weekend, turning things drier for Sunday. Surface high pressure will begin to nose into western parts of the area late tonight into Sunday, allowing winds to become light and variable. With recent rainfall moistening the boundary layer, there is some potential for patchy fog tonight. However, the 01.12Z HREF only suggests about a ~30% probability or less for visibility to fall below 1 mile overnight, focusing higher chances of this west of the area where the center of the high will be located. The latest guidance does favor visibility dropping to between 2 to 5 miles tonight, but the chances for dense fog appear rather low at this time. Zonal flow sets up overhead by the start of the new week, with what looks like a more active period characterized by additional chances for showers and storms. Shower and storm activity could return as early as Monday morning as a remnant MCS approaches from the west. A stronger upper wave will track through the northern Plains on Tuesday, sending a cold front through the Midwest states later Tuesday night into Wednesday. Southerly flow/moisture advection ahead of the system should bring in moderately strong instability by Tuesday afternoon as dewpoints climb into the 70s. However, upper jet support will be displaced to our west/northwest and the timing of the cold front passage could limit our severe threat. The CSU-MLP continues to show Tuesday as our best chance for any severe weather, though depending on the speed of FROPA, Wednesday could be another day to monitor. Temperatures for the first half of the week look to be near or slightly above normal (low to middle 80s) pending storm activity. The upper pattern becomes more northwesterly/low meridional by the end of the week as the previously mentioned upper wave becomes vertically stacked and remains somewhat stationary north of the Great Lakes Region. Precipitation chances become a little more unknown in the extended due to differences in timing and placement of shortwaves, but a drier period looks to be favored. NMA && .AVIATION... (For the 06z TAFs through 06z Sunday Night) Issued at 1100 PM CDT Sat Jun 1 2024 SHRA have diminished, leaving a mix of ceilings ranging from IFR over eastern IL to VFR in parts of central IL. Trends based on guidance are for the lower ceilings to expand west overnight, with IFR ceilings affecting KCMI-KDEC-KBMI. KPIA-KSPI could drop to IFR at times but primarily expecting MVFR there. A slow rise in ceilings is forecast after sunrise, turning VFR area wide late morning through early afternoon. 25 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$