630  
FXUS63 KLOT 211113  
AFDLOT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL  
513 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- CHANCE (30%) FOR LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS TODAY WITH MINOR  
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS LAKE AND PORTER COUNTIES IN  
NORTHWEST IN.  
 
- 20% CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE/DRIZZLE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT  
THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING.  
 
- TURNING MILD, WITH ON-AND-OFF CHANCES FOR PERIODS OF WET  
WEATHER DURING THE HOLIDAY WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 303 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
THROUGH SUNDAY:  
 
LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE TODAY  
ACROSS PORTER AND NORTHEAST LAKE COUNTIES THOUGH THERE IS QUITE  
A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING HOW ORGANIZED OR PERSISTENT THE  
LAKE EFFECT MAY BECOME. AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE  
REGION THIS EVENING, LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS MAY BE CONFINED TO  
THE OPEN WATERS. HAVE CONTINUED WITH CHANCE POPS FOR NOW ENDING  
EARLY THIS EVENING. NOT EXPECTING ANY LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS  
TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE IL SHORE TONIGHT.  
 
NORTHWEST WINDS GENERALLY UNDER 10 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH  
LATE THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE HIGH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA THIS  
EVENING, WINDS WILL BECOME CALM FOR MOST AREAS THEN SHIFT TO  
LIGHT SOUTHEAST OVERNIGHT. SOUTHERLY WINDS MAY GUST INTO THE  
20-25 MPH RANGE SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  
 
TEMPS WILL ONLY WARM BACK INTO THE MID/UPPER 20S TODAY, POSSIBLY  
ONLY LOWER 20S ACROSS THE NORTHWEST CWA. TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO  
QUICKLY DROP THIS EVENING, POSSIBLY INTO THE LOWER TEENS AND  
THEN LIKELY BECOME STEADY OVERNIGHT. HIGHS ON SUNDAY WILL BE  
BACK INTO THE LOWER 30S. CMS  
 
SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY:  
 
ANOMALOUSLY DEEP TROUGHING ACROSS THE GULF OF ALASKA IS  
EXPECTED TO FOSTER A STRONG AND PERSISTENT ZONALLY ORIENTED MID-  
LATITUDE UPPER JET ACROSS THE PACIFIC THROUGH MUCH OF THE  
PERIOD. THIS WEATHER PATTERN WILL ESSENTIALLY FLOOD MUCH OF THE  
CONUS WITH MILD PACIFIC ORIENTED WEATHER SYSTEMS THROUGH THE  
PERIOD. WITH ANY REAL COLD AIRMASSES EXPECTED TO BE SHUNTED WELL  
NORTH OF THE REGION, THE PROSPECTS FOR A WHITE CHRISTMAS  
CONTINUE TO LOOK BLEAK.  
 
THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF QUICK MOVING PACIFIC IMPULSES TRACKING  
EASTWARD TOWARDS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES SUNDAY NIGHT INTO  
MONDAY WILL BRING AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT ACROSS OUR AREA  
DURING THE DAY ON MONDAY. PRIOR TO ITS PASSAGE, A BROAD REGION  
OF ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE (WARM AIR ADVECTION) IS EXPECTED TO  
QUICKLY MOISTEN THE LOW-LEVEL AIRMASS. THIS CERTAINLY LOOKS TO  
SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW STRATUS DECK SUNDAY NIGHT INTO  
MONDAY MORNING, AND MAY ALSO SUPPORT A PERIOD OF DRIZZLE AND/OR  
FREEZING DRIZZLE. CONFIDENCE ON THE EXTENT OF FREEZING DRIZZLE  
REMAINS OF LOW CONFIDENCE AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, WITH SURFACE  
TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO BE HOVERING AROUND, OR JUST BELOW,  
FREEZING FOR A PERIOD LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY  
MORNING, WE CANNOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY FOR SOME FREEZING  
PRECIPITATION. THE MAIN CHANGE TO THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME WAS  
TO ADD IN THE MENTION OF DRIZZLE AND FREEZING DRIZZLE BEGINNING  
SUNDAY NIGHT AND PERSISTING IT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING.  
TEMPERATURES SHOULD WARM ABOVE FREEZING THROUGH THE MORNING ON  
MONDAY, SO THE THREAT FOR FREEZING PRECIPITATION SHOULD COME TO  
A QUICK END.  
 
THE COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON IS  
EXPECTED TO SETTLE SOUTH OF OUR AREA ON TUESDAY. WITH NO REAL PUSH  
OF COLD AIR IN ITS WAKE, TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN SEASONABLY MILD  
(IN THE 30S TO AROUND 40) ON TUESDAY. WHILE TUESDAY IS LOOKING TO  
BE DRY, THERE WILL BE PERIODIC CHANCES FOR RAIN FROM CHRISTMAS  
DAY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. WHILE IT WILL  
NOT BE RAINING CONSTANTLY DURING THIS PERIOD, A SERIES OF AT LEAST  
3 TO 4 ADDITIONAL PACIFIC IMPULSES ARE LIKELY TO TRAVERSE THE  
CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY AND RESULT IN SOME PERIODS OF  
INCLEMENT WEATHER THROUGH THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK.  
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN MILD TO UNSEASONABLY MILD (40S TO NEAR  
50 DURING THE DAY AND 30S TO AROUND 40 AT NIGHT), SO WINTRY  
PRECIPITATION IS NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME A PROBLEM.  
 
KJB  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 513 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
NO SIGNIFICANT AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS EXPECTED THROUGH THE  
TAF PERIOD.  
 
LAKE EFFECT CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM OFF OF SOUTHERN LAKE  
MICHIGAN INTO PARTS OF NORTHERN IN TODAY AS NORTHERLY FLOW  
CONTINUES ON THE LAKE. CONSEQUENTLY, KGYY MAY EXPERIENCE SOME  
OCCASIONAL CIGS AROUND 3,000 FEET TODAY. WITH THIS ACTIVITY  
EXPECTED TO REMAIN EAST OF THE MAIN CHICAGO AREA TERMINALS,  
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL ACROSS THE NORTHERN IL  
TERMINALS.  
 
NORTH-NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 5 TO 10 KT WILL CONTINUE TODAY  
IN ADVANCE OF AN APPROACHING SURFACE HIGH. A PERIOD OF LIGHT  
AND VARIABLE WINDS ARE THEN EXPECTED THIS EVENING AS THIS  
SURFACE HIGH SHIFTS OVERHEAD. WINDS WILL THEN SETTLE OUT OF A  
SOUTHERLY DIRECTION LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING FOLLOWING  
THE EASTWARD PASSAGE OF THIS HIGH.  
 
KJB  
 

 
   
LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
IL...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING FOR THE IL  
NEARSHORE WATERS.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE IN  
NEARSHORE WATERS.  
 

 
 

 
 
VISIT US AT WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab IL Page
The Nexlab IN Page Main Text Page