


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
Issued by NWS Central Illinois
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147 FXUS63 KILX 131048 AFDILX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Lincoln IL 548 AM CDT Mon Oct 13 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Little to no rain is expected through Friday, resulting in continued drought conditions. - Better chances for beneficial rain (40-60%) return by the weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 211 AM CDT Mon Oct 13 2025 Surface analysis early this morning shows an expansive area of ridging stretched from southeast Canada southwestward through the Great Lakes States. Further west, a weak cold front attached to a low in south-central Manitoba stretches from the Upper Mississippi Valley into central Kansas. Moisture transport near and ahead of the front has resulted in scattered showers, with light radar echoes noted west of the IL River as of 2 am. However, much drier air in place over a good portion of central Illinois has prevented a lot of this from reaching the ground with just a few ASOS/AWOS sites reporting rain occasionally. The latest suite of CAMS suggest most of this activity will dry up as it approaches I-55 by mid morning. Aside from the low chances (<20%) for rain in west-central IL this morning, surface ridging will keep us mostly dry through the remainder of the week. The cold front will slowly drop south of the area by Wednesday. Despite this, daily highs will continue to run on the warm side peaking in the middle 70s to low 80s each day this week. This is about 10-15 degrees warmer than normal. A pattern change arrives by the weekend, bringing better chances for beneficial rainfall. Water vapor imagery shows an deep trough spinning over the Pacific Northwest coast. This system will dive into the southwest US then deepen as it ejects northward into the Northern Plains states later this week. Surface ridging will get pushed east of here, with a cold front approaching from the west by Saturday/Sunday. Somewhat better Gulf moisture will advect northward ahead of the front on Saturday, which should ultimately bring more meaningful rainfall and perhaps some thunderstorms to the area. The latest NBM probabilities highlight a 40-60% chance for 0.5" or more of rain with about a 30-40% chance for 1" or more in southeast parts of the state. Temperatures return to seasonal normals behind the weekend system with high temperatures on Sunday looking to peak in the middle to upper 60s. In fact, the ensemble mean from the ECMWF AIFS suggests cooler temperatures are favored through at least the first half of next week. A brief glance at deterministic and ensemble guidance shows a more progressive pattern to close out the month, potentially bringing additional chances for rain. NMA && .AVIATION... (For the 12z TAFs through 12z Tuesday Morning) Issued at 548 AM CDT Mon Oct 13 2025 There is a low chance (<20%) for isolated showers in west-central Illinois through mid to late morning. Winds will be light through the period with the the direction veering from south-southeast this morning to east-northest by tonight. Cloud cover will remain persistent along a slow moving cold front with ceilings generally ranging from 4-8k ft. NMA && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$