Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
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486 FXUS63 KILX 110249 AFDILX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated National Weather Service Lincoln IL 849 PM CST Mon Nov 10 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Unseasonably cold temperatures persist tonight with lows around 20 degF. - Fire weather concerns develop Tuesday afternoon as conditions become drier (30% RH) and windier (30 mph gusts). - Near-record warmth is anticipated this weekend with mid-70s within reach. && .UPDATE... Issued at 850 PM CST Mon Nov 10 2025 Satellite loops show high clouds continuing to advect into the state and current forecast has these high clouds spreading over the CWA during the overnight hours. As the clouds thicken, think falling temps will get halted before morning. Believe overnight lows of lower 20s still looks ok, but concerned some areas could be colder...especially in northeast IL where snow cover still remains. Will make some adjustments to overnight lows in northern parts of Vermilion county and in eastern IL where radiational cooling will continue for several more hours before high clouds move in. Update will be forthcoming. Auten && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 133 PM CST Mon Nov 10 2025 A highly volatile pattern will bring a large swing in temperature and periods of gusty winds this week as competing air masses fight for control. Water vapor imagery this afternoon shows a convectively-enhanced meso-low rapidly moving south of the Ohio River Valley, followed by a pronounced ridge nosing into the central US. Model guidance consistently indicates that swift mid-level flow and significant compressional warming will advect across the Plains and into the Midwest through midweek, leading to a sharp increase in temperature. While afternoon highs today will barely reach 40 degF, temperatures are expected to climb to around 50 on Tuesday, and then near 60 by Wednesday and Thursday. But first, tonight will bring another round of unseasonably cold temperatures, with overnight lows expected to be around 20 degF. In far east-central Illinois, where snow is on the ground, temperatures could drop into the teens. Otherwise, tonight should remain dry despite a compact shortwave trough digging into the region. It`s worth noting that most CAMs depict reflectivity out ahead of this disturbance, but that a deep low-level dry wedge (about 10 kft) is likely to preclude additional snow accumulation. Some concern for fire weather exists for Tuesday, though the threat looks sporadic and brief, mainly between 11am-2pm. By then, model soundings indicate a dry and well-mixed boundary layer supportive of rapid fire spread. One proxy we looked at was the joint probability of RH less than 30% and surface gusts > 30 mph. The latest REFS offers a high (50-80%) chance of meeting these conditions Tuesday. Winds then ease Wednesday and Thursday as elongated surface high pressure stretches across the Midwest and Great Lakes. Near-record warmth is expected this weekend as a northern stream shortwave trough moves across the Northern Rockies, pushing a frontal system towards the Great Lakes. Gusty (30-40 mph) southerly winds ahead of this front will advect 850-mb temperatures of 12-14 degC to west-central Illinois by Saturday. This is considered 99th percentile warmth for mid-November (source: NAEFS & ECMWF ENS). As a result, afternoon highs in the mid-70s are anticipated (source: 13z NBM), potentially leading to record-breaking heat in Springfield and Peoria this weekend. Early next week presents a challenging but potentially impactful forecast for the region, with two competing solutions emerging behind this weekend`s cold frontal passage. Solution A depicts a rapidly lifting and pivoting deep western trough across the mid-Mississippi Valley by Sunday. This scenario brings a strengthening storm system and an accompanying cold front through Illinois on Sunday evening, potentially resulting in beneficial rainfall, gusty winds, and even severe weather. Conversely, Solution B also shows a deep western trough, but one that develops more slowly and favors the lower-Mississippi Valley. This track would position us on the northern edge of the storm on Monday, still bringing beneficial rainfall and breezy conditions to parts of central Illinois, but likely keeping the severe weather potential to our south. While last night`s 00z ensemble guidance indicated nearly two- thirds of members leaning towards Solution A, the latest deterministic guidance, including the GFS, ECMWF, and CMC, bucks this trend by suggesting a storm track more aligned with Solution B. We are currently awaiting the assimilation of the 12z suite of ensemble guidance. All that to say, the forecast for early next week remains uncertain but warrants close monitoring due to its potential impact. MJA && .AVIATION... (For the 00z TAFs through 00z Tuesday Evening) Issued at 530 PM CST Mon Nov 10 2025 VFR conditions will prevail at all sites next 24hrs. Most sites will be clear this evening, but CMI will see scattered mid clouds. Then all sites will have broken cigs with high clouds overnight, followed by mid clouds tomorrow. Skies will scatter out tomorrow afternoon. Winds will be northwest less than 10kts and then become more southwest to south overnight through tomorrow. Wind speeds tomorrow will increase with gusts of 25-30kts tomorrow late morning through afternoon...then decrease again tomorrow late afternoon. Auten && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$