302  
FXUS63 KILX 062039  
AFDILX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL  
239 PM CST FRI MAR 6 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- A FEW ROUNDS OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS  
AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING, WITH THE GREATEST COVERAGE  
EXPECTED OVERNIGHT (WEST OF I-57) AND EAST OF I-57 LATER TONIGHT  
INTO SATURDAY MORNING. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BE STRONG TO  
SEVERE, ESPECIALLY FROM LATE THIS EVENING INTO EARLY SATURDAY  
MORNING. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK (LEVEL 2 OF 5) OF SEVERE STORMS  
WEST OF I-55, AND A MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1 OF 5) EAST OF I-55.  
 
- UNSEASONABLY WARM THIS AFTERNOON, WITH HIGHS REACHING 75 TO 80.  
BREEZY SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS OF 25-35 MPH ARE EXPECTED DURING THE  
AFTERNOON WITH A FEW HIGHER GUSTS TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE BETWEEN THE  
IL RIVER AND I-70 INTO EARLY EVENING. MORE WARM 70S LIKELY  
MONDAY AND TUESDAY ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IL.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 230 PM CST FRI MAR 6 2026  
 
STRONG SSW WINDS WITH GUSTS 25-35 MPH (A FEW GUSTS TO 40 MPH)  
ALONG WITH SOME SUNSHINE HELPING WARM TEMPERATURES INTO THE MID TO  
UPPER 70S SE OF THE IL RIVER. PEORIA HAS REACHED 75 SO FAR AND  
TIED THEIR RECORD HIGH OF 75 SET IN 1956. LINCOLN HAS REACHED 78  
AND 2 DEGREES SHY OF THEIR RECORD HIGH OF 80F. SPRINGFIELD IS 79F  
AND THEIR RECORD HIGH IS 83F. THE LAST TIME IT WAS THIS WARM IN  
CENTRAL IL WAS OCT 17TH. MORE CLOUDS AND MORNING CONVECTION  
KEEPING AREAS WEST OF THE IL RIVER A BIT COOLER IN THE UPPER  
60S/LOWER 70S. RATHER MUGGY DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S  
ACCOMPANIED THIS WARMTH. RADAR MOSAIC SHOWS LINGERING BROKEN BAND  
OF CONVECTION NW OF THE IL RIVER LIFTING NORTHEAST. A LARGER AREA  
OF CONVECTION WAS OVER NORTHERN MO MOVING NE TOWARD WEST CENTRAL  
AND NW IL. MUCAPES HAD INCREASE TO 1000-2000 J/KG SE OF THE IL  
RIVER WHERE MORE SUNSHINE AND HEATING OF UNSTABLE AIR MASS. THOUGH  
LIFTING MECHANISMS AND BOUNDARY ARE MORE ALONG AND NW OF THE IL  
RIVER WHERE MUCAPES ARE 500-1000 J/KG. BEST EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR  
VALUES OF 40-50KTS ARE FROM QUINCY TO BLOOMINGTON NW THOUGH WEAK  
INHIBITION/CAP REMAINS OVER THIS AREA. THERE IS A 35-45 KT SW 850  
MB JET HELPING TRANSPORT HIGHER MOISTURE INTO IL WITH PW VALUES OF  
1.1-1.3 INCHES.  
 
EXPECT HIGHER CHANCES OF CONVECTION OVER THE NW CWA REST OF THIS  
AFTERNOON EARLY THIS EVENING, WHILE AN ISOLATED CELL COULD STILL  
POP UP LATER THIS AFTERNOON IN EASTERN IL. THE COLD FRONT OVER NW  
IOWA INTO CENTRAL KS AND THE LATEST CAMS HAVE TRENDED SLOWER WITH  
MOVEMENT OF COLD FRONT EASTWARD TOWARD FAR NW CWA BY SUNRISE  
SATURDAY AND THROUGH SOUTHEAST IL BY MID SATURDAY AFTERNOON.  
SO HAVE TRENDED SLOWER WITH CONVECTION CHANCES TO MAINLY OVERNIGHT  
AND LINGER IN SOUTHEAST IL INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. SPC DAY1  
OUTLOOK HAS CONTINUED SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS WEST OF I-51  
OVERNIGHT WITH MARGINAL RISK EAST WITH ALL SEVERE WX PARAMETERS AT  
PLAY WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE MOST LIKELY. WITH SLOWLY FORECAST OF  
COLD FRONT, SPC DAY2 MARGINAL RISK FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING  
WINDS WAS PUSHED BACK WEST A BIT FROM PARIS TO EFFINGHAM LINE EAST  
FOR SAT MORNING AND EARLY SAT AFTERNOON. MILD LOWS OVERNIGHT IN  
THE UPPER 50S/LOWER 60S. HIGHS SATURDAY RANGE FROM THE UPPER 50S  
AND LOWER 60S OVER THE IL RIVER VALLEY AND UPPER 60S/LOWER 70S IN  
EAST CENTRAL/SE IL. TEMPS WILL FALL ABOUT 10 DEGREES BY SUPPER  
TIME SATURDAY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT AS BREEZY SW WINDS TURN WEST  
TO WNW BEHIND COLD FRONT.  
 
COLDER LOWS SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE MID 30S, RANGING FROM NEAR 32F  
AT GALESBURG TO NEAR 40F AT LAWRENCEVILLE. THIS IS STILL A BIT  
WARMER THAN NORMAL FOR EARLY MARCH LOWS. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE AROUND  
1020 MB SETTLES INTO THE MID MS RIVER VALLEY SUNDAY WITH A FAIR  
AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE AND INCREASE SW WINDS TO BREEZY LEVELS BY  
SUNDAY AFTERNOON OVER CENTRAL IL ESPECIALLY NORTH OF I-72. HIGHS  
SUNDAY IN THE LOW TO MID 60S, MILDEST OVER THE IL RIVER VALLEY  
WEST OF I-55. WARMER 70S RETURN TO CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST IL ON  
MONDAY WITH AMPLE SUNSHINE AND BREEZY SW WINDS. THESE WARM TEMPS  
CONTINUE TUESDAY AND MAY BE NEAR RECORD HIGHS AGAIN ON MONDAY AND  
TUESDAY. WE HAVE A 20-30 CHANCE OF CONVECTION SE OF THE IL RIVER  
MONDAY NIGHT, MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT.  
 
INCREASING CHANCES OF CONVECTION DURING TUE AND TUE NIGHT AS  
STRONG CUTOFF 500 MB LOW MOVES INTO NW MEXICO AND NEAR EL PASO  
TEXAS BY TUE AFTERNOON AND STORM SYSTEM EJECTING NE TOWARD IL WITH  
COLD FRONT APPROACHING NW IL BY SUNSET TUE. COLD FRONT TO PUSH SE  
THROUGH IL TUE NIGHT AND REACH NEAR THE OHIO RIVER BY MIDDAY WED.  
THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE MORE MOISTURE TO WORK WITH AND A 1-2 INCH  
BAND OF RAIN POSSIBLE TUE-WED WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE SOUTH  
OF I-70 WHERE RIVER FLOODING CURRENTLY GOING ON ON EMBARRAS RIVER  
AT LAWRENCEVILLE AND LITTLE WABASH RIVER AT CLAY CITY. SPC DAY5  
OUTLOOK FOR TUE/TUE NIGHT HAS 15% RISK OF SEVERE STORMS OVER SW  
IL, AS FAR NORTHEAST AS SPRINGFIELD. FEEL THIS RISK MAY EXPAND  
FURTHER NE OVER CENTRAL IL TUE AFTERNOON/EVENING WITH STRONGER  
WIND SHEAR AND DEPENDENT ON AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY. RAIN CHANCES  
DIMINISH FROM NW TO SE LATER WED AND WED EVENING AS COOLER AIR  
ARRIVES DURING WED INTO THU. HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 50S OVER  
CENTRAL IL WED AND ACROSS SOUTHEAST IL TOO ON THU.  
 
A NORTHERN STREAM SHORT WAVE/SYSTEM PASSES BY TO OUR NORTH ON THU  
NIGHT AND FRIDAY WITH BRUNT OF ITS PCPN NORTH OF CENTRAL IL WITH  
SOME WARMING AHEAD OF IT WITH HIGHS IN LOW TO MID 60S NEXT FRIDAY.  
 
07  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON)  
ISSUED AT 1114 AM CST FRI MAR 6 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS MAINLY PREVAILING THROUGH THE EVENING, THOUGH SOME  
LOWER VISIBILITIES ARE ACCOMPANYING SHOWERS PASSING THROUGH THE  
KPIA AREA INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND SCATTERED  
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MORE NUMEROUS AFTER 06Z AHEAD OF AN INCOMING  
COLD FRONT, THOUGH THE STORMS SHOULD BE ON A WEAKENING TREND.  
THUS, WILL ONLY GO WITH PROB30 GROUPS FOR THUNDER POTENTIAL FOR  
NOW. BEHIND THE RAIN, CEILINGS QUICKLY DROP TO AROUND 2000 FEET OR  
LESS AS THE FRONT ARRIVES.  
 
WINDS WILL REMAIN QUITE GUSTY THROUGH THE PERIOD, MAINLY 20-30  
KNOTS, TRENDING MORE TOWARD A WEST/SOUTHWEST DIRECTION LATE IN THE  
PERIOD.  
 
GEELHART  
 
 
   
ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
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