180  
FXUS63 KDVN 270829  
AFDDVN  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL  
329 AM CDT MON JUL 27 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- OPPRESSIVELY HOT AND HUMID THROUGH THIS EVENING, WITH HEAT  
INDICES IN MANY LOCATIONS PEAKING AROUND 105-115 DEGREES.  
 
- ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS  
EVENING IN NORTHWEST ILLINOIS, THOUGH THERE REMAINS SOME  
UNCERTAINTY DUE TO CAPPING AND THE TRACK. SOME OF THESE STORMS  
MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS IF WELL-  
ORGANIZED. AN ENHANCED (LEVEL 3 OF 5) RISK OF SEVERE  
THUNDERSTORMS IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST ILLINOIS.  
 
- SOME MIDWEEK RELIEF COMES BEHIND A COLD FRONT TONIGHT,  
ALTHOUGH SMOKE FROM NORTHWEST U.S. AND CANADIAN FIRES MAY  
SPREAD OVER THE AREA THAT COULD CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
ISSUED AT 301 AM CDT MON JUL 27 2026  
 
A COMPLICATED FORECAST IS IN STORE FOR MONDAY, BUT AMIDST THE MANY  
DIFFERENT WAYS TODAY COULD PLAY OUT, THERE IS ONE CONSISTENT FACTOR:  
IT WILL BE OPPRESSIVELY HOT AND HUMID. EARLY MORNING  
TEMPERATURES REMAIN QUITE WARM IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S, WITH  
DEW POINTS NOT FAR BEHIND. COMBINED WITH WEAK SURFACE WINDS,  
THIS WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS HAS ALLOWED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF  
PATCHY AREAS OF FOG AND LOW STRATUS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80. THIS  
ALSO INCLUDES AREAS OF DENSE FOG EAST OF THE QUAD CITIES METRO.  
DIURNAL HEATING AND QUICKLY INCREASING TEMPERATURES WILL ALLOW  
ANY FOG TO BURN OFF BY MID-MORNING.  
 
ONCE THE FOG CLEARS OUT, THE SURFACE WILL QUICKLY HEAT UP, LEADING  
TO YET ANOTHER OPPRESSIVELY HOT AND HUMID DAY. HIGHS ARE FORECAST IN  
THE LOW TO MID 90S, WITH SOME AREAS IN THE FAR SOUTH REACHING  
INTO THE UPPER 90S. DEW POINTS ARE ONCE AGAIN EXPECTED TO REACH  
INTO THE LOWER 80S TODAY, LEADING TO HEAT INDICES AS HIGH AS  
105 TO 115 DEGREES. AN EXTREME HEAT WARNING IS IN EFFECT AREA-  
WIDE. HOWEVER, THERE IS A POTENTIAL LIMITER IN HOW HOT WE CAN  
GET TODAY: THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
GUIDANCE REMAINS KEEN ON A POTENTIAL MCS MOVING THROUGH PARTS OF  
NORTHERN ILLINOIS TODAY, THOUGH THERE IS QUITE THE RANGE OF  
SOLUTIONS, INCLUDING A SOME THAT HAVE NO STORMS AT ALL. THIS IS  
LIKELY DUE TO THE STRONG ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL BE IN PLACE: 30-40  
KTS OF SHEAR, HIGH INSTABILITY FROM A HOT AND HUMID AIRMASS, AND  
AMPLE MOISTURE WITH PWATS NEAR 2 INCHES. GIVEN THIS POTENT  
ENVIRONMENT, SPC HAS AN ENHANCED (LEVEL 3 OF 5) IN PLACE FOR  
NORTHWEST ILLINOIS AND A SLIGHT (LEVEL 2 OF 5) TO THE INTERSTATE  
380/HIGHWAY 218 CORRIDOR. HOWEVER, FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS QUITE  
LOW, WITH THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO BEING LOW STORM COVERAGE.  
THIS IS DUE TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS, WITH PERHAPS THE GREATEST OF  
THESE BEING WARM TEMPERATURES ALOFT. WHILE CAPPING WILL BE WEAK  
WITH 850MB TEMPERATURES AROUND 20-25 DEGC, IT COULD SUPPRESS  
ANY CONVECTION, SUCH AS WAS SEEN YESTERDAY. IF STORMS DO  
DEVELOP, THERE ARE STILL A FEW SCENARIOS THAT COULD PLAY OUT.  
 
SCENARIO 1: STORMS DEVELOP ACROSS WISCONSIN AND MOVE SOUTH-  
SOUTHEASTWARD AS AN MCS. THIS MCS MATURES PRIOR TO REACHING  
ILLINOIS EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON, ALLOWING FOR IT TO PRODUCE  
SWATHS OF DAMAGING WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AS IT MOVES  
THROUGH NORTHERN ILLINOIS. IN THIS SCENARIO, THE MCS TRACKS TO  
THE EAST OF OUR CWA. WHILE THE FRINGES OF THE MCS COULD STILL  
IMPACT PARTS OF OUR CWA ACROSS NORTHWEST ILLINOIS, DAMAGING  
WINDS WOULD HAVE A LOWER PROBABILITY BUT STILL BE AN AREA OF  
CONCERN.  
 
SCENARIO 2: SIMILAR TO SCENARIO 1, STORMS DEVELOP ACROSS  
WISCONSIN, WITH THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BEING A MORE WESTWARD TRACK.  
THIS WOULD RESULT IN THE MCS TRACKING OVER OUR CWA'S NORTHWEST  
ILLINOIS COUNTIES, AND SLIGHT SHIFTS COULD RESULT IN PARTS OF  
EASTERN IOWA ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER SEEING A FEW STORMS. IN  
THIS SCENARIO, THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS, INCLUDING  
SIGNIFICANT WINDS, IS HIGHER. THE PRIMARY IMPACTS WOULD BE  
FOCUSED IN NORTHWEST AND NORTH-CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  
 
BY EVENING, THE COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE  
CWA, SLOWLY PUSHING SOUTHWARD. WHILE THIS MAY NOT OFFER IMMEDIATE  
RELIEF IN TEMPERATURES, IT WILL HELP REDUCE HEAT INDICES AND THE  
CHANCES FOR HEAT HEADLINES IN THE COMING DAYS.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 301 AM CDT MON JUL 27 2026  
 
ONCE THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH, TUESDAY WILL FEEL MUCH COOLER AS  
MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES RETURN. ONE NOTE FOR BEHIND THE  
FRONT IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SMOKE IN THE AIR, POSSIBLY EVEN  
REDUCED AIR QUALITY AT THE SURFACE. GOES GEOCOLOR SATELLITE  
SUNDAY AFTERNOON INDICATED WIDESPREAD SMOKE OVER THE NORTHERN  
CONUS ROCKIES INTO THE WESTERN DAKOTAS. RAP AND HRRR EXTENDED  
SMOKE FORECASTS INDICATE THIS BEING STEERED SOUTHWARD BEHIND THE  
FRONT OVER OUR AREA. THIS IS STILL TOO FAR OUT TO TELL IF IT  
WOULD MIX TO NEAR- SURFACE, BUT AT LEAST SOME SMOKY SKY TONIGHT  
INTO EARLY TUESDAY LOOKS PROBABLE.  
 
AFTER QUIET AND NEAR TO SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN SEASONABLE  
TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY AND INTO THE DAY THURSDAY, A SLOW MOVING  
AND FAIRLY WELL-DEFINED SHORT WAVE IS INDICATED BY GUIDANCE TO  
PASS OVER THE AREA LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THIS LOOKS  
LIKE THE NEXT CHANCE OF RAIN.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1249 AM CDT MON JUL 27 2026  
 
CURRENT SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW STRATUS  
DECK FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER EASTWARD INTO NORTHWEST ILLINOIS,  
ALONG WITH MID TO HIGH CLOUDS MOVING SOUTHWARD. CLEAR SKIES AND HIGH  
HUMIDITY TONIGHT WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF AREAS OF SHALLOW  
PATCHY FOG, AS SEEN ALREADY AT DBQ. THIS COULD LEAD TO TEMPORARY  
MVFR TO IFR VSBYS THROUGH DAYBREAK.  
 
OF NOTE IS GREAT UNCERTAINTY IN CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL THROUGH THE TAF  
PERIOD. GUIDANCE HAS BEEN QUITE MIXED IN HOW STORMS ARE TO DEVELOP  
AND EVOLVE THIS MORNING, INCLUDING TIME OF ARRIVAL BEING PUSHED BACK  
WITH EACH RUN. AS SUCH, THE PROB30S FOR DBQ/MLI HAVE BEEN REMOVED  
FROM THIS ISSUANCE DUE TO HIGH UNCERTAINTY IN WHEN AND WHERE STORMS  
MAY OCCUR. TOWARDS AFTERNOON(27/18-23Z), THERE IS INCREASING  
CONFIDENCE IN ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS IN SOUTHERN  
IOWA. UNCERTAINTY IN EASTWARD EXTENT HAS KEPT ANY PROB30 MENTION  
FROM BRL AT THIS TIME.  
 
WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVERNIGHT BEFORE STRENGTHENING AND  
BECOMING GUSTY AND SOUTHWESTERLY THROUGH THE DAY. TOWARDS THE END OF  
THE PERIOD, WINDS WILL TURN NORTHWESTERLY WITH THE PASSAGE OF A  
FRONT.  
 

 
   
DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
IA...EXTREME HEAT WARNING UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR  
IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099.  
IL...EXTREME HEAT WARNING UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR ILZ001-  
002-007-009-015>018-024>026-034-035.  
MO...EXTREME HEAT WARNING UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR MOZ009-  
010.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...ELLINGWORTH  
LONG TERM...ELLINGWORTH/FRIEDLEIN  
AVIATION...ELLINGWORTH  
 
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