


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Chicago, IL
Issued by NWS Chicago, IL
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144 FXUS63 KLOT 061941 AFDLOT Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, IL 241 PM CDT Sun Jul 6 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue through early evening before shifting south and diminishing in coverage late this evening and overnight. The main concern will be torrential rain with localized flooding possible. A few strong wind gusts are possible, primarily south of a Pontiac to northern Jasper County line. - Dangerous swimming conditions at Lake Michigan beaches this through midday Monday. - A period of dry and slightly cooler weather is on track to start the upcoming week, though isolated showers and storms cannot be ruled out in the Tuesday night through Thursday timeframe (20-40% chance or so each day). && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 241 PM CDT Sun Jul 6 2025 Through Monday: Shower and thunderstorm coverage continues to increase across much of the forecast area as diurnal heating has left the boundary layer uncapped this afternoon. Three forcing mechanisms are responsible for the ongoing convection. First is a cold front aligned from south of Rockford to south of Waukegan. The second area is a residual outflow boundary from Dixon to northern Cook County associated with early morning convection over southern Wisconsin. The front will gradually overtake the outflow boundary, with recent radar trends depicting an increase in shower coverage between the two features. The congealed line will drift southeastward across the Chicago metro through 6-7pm, with perhaps an increase in lightning coverage after 3pm. Poor mid-level lapse rates, weak shear, and a moisture-laden profile suggest a prevalence of low-centroid showers with embedded lightning, localized torrential rainfall rates, and brief non-severe gusty winds. The third area is tied to a sheared and weakening mid-level trough extending from northwest Indiana toward central Illinois. Less cloud cover south of this area has allowed more destabilization this afternoon. But given the weak mid-level forcing, higher coverage has struggled to materialize. As the features across northern Illinois track southward through the afternoon, the added surface-based forcing should allow coverage of convection to increase primarily, south of a line from Pontiac to northern Jasper County by early evening. Though deep-layer shear remains quite low, slightly higher mid-level lapse rates and the additional destabilization noted above could support a couple multicell clusters capable of producing strong to marginally severe wind gusts. Activity will quickly decrease with loss of heating after mid-evening. All activity should end across the remainder of the CWA by around daybreak Monday as the front clears to the southeast. Beside ongoing convection, N/NNE winds gusting to 30 mph behind the cold front this afternoon will generate high waves and dangerous swimming conditions that will persist through Monday. A Beach Hazards Statement remains in effect until 4pm CDT Monday. Kluber Monday Night through Sunday: Monday night through Wednesday, the overarching upper-level pattern from the northern Plains to the Great Lakes is expected to be characterized by broad/disorganized northwesterly flow. Ensemble model guidance suggests a shortwave moving along the US/Canadian border, perhaps augmented by upstream convection in the Plains, will move into the Great Lakes region sometime in the Tuesday night to early Wednesday timeframe. If such timing were to hold (definitely no guarantees), any convection that develops Tuesday afternoon across Iowa would be prone to weakening by the time it reaches our area Tuesday night. Tuesday otherwise looks like a nice day with highs in the mid to upper 80s Wednesday and Thursday, upper-level ridging will build northward toward Hudson Bay atop weak troughing across the Gulf Coast. Such a regime will lead to mid-level heights "spreading out" across the Mississippi River Valley, altogether leading to somewhat benign weather. Healthy cumulus fields each day may sprout an isolated storm or two, particularly near daily lake breezes where localized convergence will be maximized. With little to no flow through the meager convective layer, any storm that manages to develop would be fairly short-lived with threats for occasional lightning strikes and downpours. Will maintain the NBM PoPs of 20 to 40% through the period, keeping in mind they are likely overdone for many areas. Highs both days should be in the mid to upper 80s, with cooler readings in the upper 70s in the wake of the aforementioned lake breezes. Friday into the weekend, the upper-level low currently stalled in the Gulf of Alaska is expected to swing southeastward and track along the US/Canadian border. At the same time, the upper- level low meandering off the California coast is expected to swing east-northeastward atop a strengthening ridge over the southwestern US, placing it in line to interact with the approaching trough from the northwest. If and how both interact will be something to watch as we get closer. Regardless, the general idea is that chances for showers and storms should return to the general region sometime next weekend. Borchardt && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 1239 PM CDT Sun Jul 6 2025 Key messages: - Scattered showers and thunderstorms ahead of a cold front this afternoon, mainly prior to 22z. Expect a short period of torrential downpours and possible IFR conditions. - Gusty northeasterly wind shift with frontal passage at the Chicago area terminals (2030 to 2100Z at ORD and DPA and 21 to 22z at MDW and GYY). - Low MVFR CIGs return in the wake of the front, and may persist near the lake tonight. Showers and thunderstorms continue to increase in areal coverage across southern WI and far northern IL in advance of a cold front early this afternoon. These showers and storms are expected to impact all the terminals through 21-22Z this afternoon. Very heavy downpours will accompany these showers and storms, and will likely result in at least temporary IFR VSBYs down around 1SM and locally lower CIGs. The surface cold front has become lake enhanced over southeastern WI, which is allowing it to race southward down the western shores of Lake Michigan. It recently moved through KMKE and KRAC in WI, and in its wake winds rapidly turned to the northeast, with some gusts in the 20 to 25 kt range. Similar conditions are expected at the Chicago terminals after 20Z. A simple extrapolation of the front puts it in the KORD area around 2030z and at KMDW ~2115Z. Once this front passes, expect the threat of storms to gradually come to an end from north to south across the area. Northeast winds off the lake will likely drive some lower end MVFR CIGs (~1,000 AGL) back in across the Chicago area terminals late this afternoon into this evening. It is possible that these lower CIGs scatter out for a period later this evening, but may then return for a period late tonight into early Monday morning before diurnally improving. Otherwise, expect northeast winds through the day Monday. KJB && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...Beach Hazards Statement through Monday afternoon for ILZ006- ILZ103-ILZ104. IN...Beach Hazards Statement from 6 PM CDT this evening through Monday afternoon for INZ001-INZ002. LM...Small Craft Advisory until 9 AM CDT Monday for the IL nearshore waters. Small Craft Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 9 AM CDT Monday for the IN nearshore waters. && $$ Visit us at weather.gov/chicago