566 FXUS63 KLOT 151130 AFDLOTArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, IL 630 AM CDT Wed Oct 15 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Some scattered showers expected this morning, mainly north of I-80.
- A period of showers and possible thunderstorms expected late Friday night or Saturday.
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.DISCUSSION... Issued at 313 AM CDT Wed Oct 15 2025
Scattered showers are ongoing across southern WI southward into portions of northern IL early this morning. This is occurring within a rather broad region of isentropic upglide to the north of a surface frontal boundary draped across the lower Missouri Valley eastward through the Ohio Valley. This activity continues this morning, at least on a widely scattered basis across northern and northeastern parts of IL and northwest IN. Then, as we head into the afternoon, any lingering shower activity will become more isolated in nature, and likely focused more to our northwest.
Outside of the shower chances, temperatures will be notably cooler today, owing to persistent cloud cover and an overall cooler low-level airmass advecting into the area on northeast winds. Accordingly, temperatures are unlikely to warm much above the low 60s today, save for areas well south of I-80, where some mid to upper 60s are possible.
The weather pattern will turn more active across the central CONUS later this week and especially this weekend. While there continues to be uncertainties with the smaller scale details of this pattern, particularly with regards to the exact timing of precipitation, more frequent rain chances and some typical autumnal temperature swings can be expected into next week.
The primarily driver of this active weekend weather is a long wave closed off mid/upper trough currently residing across the west coast. Model and ensemble guidance all support a significant impulse ejecting northeastward from the base of the trough and setting the stage for lee cyclogenesis and a northward moving surface cyclone into the northern Plains and southern Canada Thursday into Friday. As this occurs, a large and expansive warm sector east of this strong cyclone will foster a southerly feed of warmer air into our region, thus supporting a rather quick recovery in temperatures for the end of the week. As a result, we will see temperatures back into the upper 60s near the lake, and into the low to mid 70s across interior sections of IL on Thursday. Thereafter, mid to upper 70s are slatted for Friday, albeit with breezy south winds. While we cannot totally rule out the possibility for a few warm air advection driven showers or storms Thursday night into Friday as the surface warm front approaches, it appears much of the more widespread precipitation chances will hold off until sometime late Friday night or Saturday as the systems cold front begins to shift towards the area.
Over the past 24 hours, the main change in the guidance for this weekend has been a trend towards a slower cold frontal timing (later Saturday), and an associated trend towards the development of another surface low along the surface cold front in our area Saturday afternoon and evening. This secondary surface low development appears to be tied to another impulse emanating from the Gulf of Alaska, that digs southeastward into the central CONUS along the western periphery of the larger scale trough. At this time, confidence in the details with this possibility remain low at this time, owing to the complex interactions that are likely to occur with the individual systems over the next few days and are difficult for the models to handle at this timescale. Nevertheless, we will have to keep an eye on this period, as showers and thunderstorms look likely, and a slower evolution could result in some heavier rainfall potential.
As the trough and accompanying cold front finally move across the area expect a much cooler (though fairly seasonable) air mass to filter into the area early next week.
KJB
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.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 630 AM CDT Wed Oct 15 2025
Forecast concerns include...
Chance of showers this morning. Possible mvfr cigs through this afternoon.
There will continue to be a chance of showers this morning but the bulk of the shower activity has moved east of the area. There may also be a few showers this afternoon, especially west of the Chicago terminals.
Mvfr cigs have developed across southern WI and far northeast IL and some of these mvfr cigs may spread across northern IL and the terminals this morning and if they it do, could continue into this afternoon. Maintained scattered mention through this evening and for now, have only included a mvfr cig for a few hours associated with the prob shower mention and trends will need to be monitored this morning. Vfr cigs are expected to remain prevailing through at least this evening and may continue into Thursday morning.
Northeast winds around 10kt will continue into this afternoon and slowly diminish this evening, becoming light easterly tonight, then turn southeasterly Thursday morning. cms
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.LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. IN...None. LM...Small Craft Advisory until 1 PM CDT this afternoon for the IL nearshore waters.
Small Craft Advisory until 10 AM CDT this morning for the IN nearshore waters.
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