Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
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334 FXUS63 KILX 170435 AFDILX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Lincoln IL 1035 PM CST Sun Nov 16 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - This afternoon, the combination of low (17-25 percent) relative humidity and northwest winds gusting to 20 mph will result in elevated fire danger in east-central and southeast IL. - The next chance (80 percent) for precipitation arrives Monday into Tuesday. Most areas will see a tenth to a quarter inch or rainfall, not enough to significantly mitigate drought conditions. Areas south of I-70 should see around a half inch of rainfall. - A better opportunity for widespread beneficial rainfall arrives Thursday into Friday. There is a 30-60% chance for rain amounts greater than 1 inch. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 158 PM CST Sun Nov 16 2025 High pressure drifting over central IL tonight will lead to generally clear skies and light winds. Most models show a completely clear sky over the majority of the area, however enough cloud cover may begin to encroach on western areas late to keep lows slightly warmer in the west. The overall range for tonight`s lows is expected to be from around 30 degrees west to 25 degrees around Danville, with most lows in the upper 20s. Clouds will be on the increase Monday, with highs in the mid 50s, as an upper trough approaches from the central plains. Moist warm advection ahead of this system Monday night is expected to result in widespread precipitation across the area, with chances for rain around 80 percent. Ensemble guidance has increased forecast amounts, particularly in southeast IL where the most favorable precipitable water values (over 1.0 inch) are forecast. Generally, amounts around a tenth to a quarter inch are expected, but there could be closer to 0.50 inches south of I-70. The probability of seeing over 1 inch of rain is around 10 percent south of I-70. Lows Monday night should only dip into the 40s given the extensive cloud cover, followed by highs mainly in the 50s Tuesday. Skinny elevated cape profiles, up to a few hundred J/kg, are expected Monday night into Tuesday morning. This should be sufficient to support a few thunderstorms, mainly along and south of the I-72 corridor. Dry weather is expected to prevail from Wednesday into Thursday morning as a shortwave ridge aloft dominates the pattern. Highs should reach the 60s by Thursday, if not Wednesday, given the developing southerly flow and ridge aloft. The next storm system looks to affect the area late in the week as a cutoff low ejects out of the southwest U.S. The phasing of this feature with a northern stream shortwave has decreased over the past day. This has led to at least as much uncertainty as previously with the track, timing, and strength of the system as it arrives in central IL. Nevertheless, there is a good theme among models for this feature picking up copious gulf moisture and producing rain, and possibly some thunderstorms, over central IL. Extensive cloud cover could limit the development of strong instability, and select forecast soundings appear to confirm this. However, we will have to wait on more details as this feature draws closer. The model range on precipitation totals for the late week storm is also quite large. The 00Z ensembles depict a wide spread, with storm totals ranging from as high as 2+ inches in the Illinois River Valley (95th percentile) to under a half inch area-wide (10th percentile). After the mild temperatures of Wednesday through Friday, temperatures look to fall to seasonably cool values by next weekend, with highs in the lower to mid 50s. 37 && .AVIATION... (For the 06z TAFs through 06z Monday Night) Issued at 1035 PM CST Sun Nov 16 2025 Surface high pressure will keep winds light and variable overnight. As the surface high pushes off to our east on Monday, winds will veer to the southeast with sustained speeds up to 12 kt. Scattered mid to high clouds will slide through the area overnight with cloud cover more notably increasing later Monday ahead of an approaching weather system. Scattered rain showers become common late Monday evening continuing through the overnight hours. A few isolated storms are also possible, but chances of this occuring is only about 20%. NMA && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$