Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
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091 FXUS63 KILX 191113 AFDILX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Lincoln IL 513 AM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Very low ceilings and the abundance of low level moisture will lead to patchy fog and patchy drizzle across central Illinois this morning. - Rain will move into the area Thursday afternoon and continue into Friday night. The axis of heaviest rain has shifted south, but there is still a 30-50% chance of rainfall exceeding one inch south of I- 70. && .SHORT TERM... (Through Tonight) Issued at 314 AM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 As the weather system that brought storms to the area yesterday continues to move east today, a high pressure ridge will build into the area through tonight. The very low clouds and the abundance of low level moisture indicates there is a decent inversion already set up which will likely trap the moisture at the surface. Visibilities could get reduce below 3 miles at times, leading to some patchy fog and possible patchy drizzle. Fortunately, with temps in the lower 40s, the drizzle will remain all liquid. This should last into the morning hours and then conditions will improve, though clouds will remain through the day. Temps will not warm much today with the cloud cover and light northeast winds and only expecting around a 5 degree increase with highs in the upper 40s along I-74 to the lower 50s in the southwest and southeast. Also not expecting much of a decrease tonight, either, with continued cloud cover. Tonight`s lows are expected to be in the lower to middle 40s. Auten .LONG TERM... (Friday through Wednesday) Issued at 314 AM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 The next weather system arrives Thursday, but most guidance does not bring precip into the CWA until late Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening. The trend in the guidance has been shifting the forecast track of the precip south, which continues to reduce the amount of QPF in the CWA. POPS remain high in the south, but the biggest change has been to pops in the north being lowered and the resulting pop gradient being tightened from north to south. Probability of rainfall exceeding 1 inch is now 5-15% in the north half of the CWA with a 30-50% still south of I-70. Overall, QPF amounts have been reduced with southeast areas only seeing amounts of .75 to 1 inch through the event from Thursday through Friday night. This system will allow warmer air to advect northward into the CWA, resulting in daytime highs being above normal, in the 50s and lower 60s the rest of the week and into the weekend. Dry weather is also expected for the weekend. However, unsettled weather appears to return for the first half of the next work week. There remains decent spread on the timing and location of the precip, but all guidance suggests cooler weather can be expected. Auten && .AVIATION... (For the 12z TAFs through 12z Thursday Morning) Issued at 512 AM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 LIFR conditions (ceilings) will prevail at all sites this morning with low stratus. The low stratus will stick around through the morning at all sites, but continue into the afternoon & early evening at BMI and CMI. Cigs at PIA, SPI, and DEC should improve to just above 1kft this afternoon. Expecting all sites cigs to be MVFR during the evening, and then improve to above 2kft after midnight. Confidence is low for when cigs improve to VFR, though some guidance is optimistic and improves late evening to overnight. Not confident in this so will keep MVFR ceilings in place through the end of the period. Winds will be light through the period with the direction being mainly east to northeast, though variable winds are expected this afternoon and tonight at all sites. Auten && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$