962  
FXUS63 KILX 211033  
AFDILX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL  
533 AM CDT MON SEP 21 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- MUCH COOLER WEATHER WILL PREVAIL THIS WEEK AS HIGH  
TEMPERATURES ONLY REACH THE 60S AND LOWER 70S EVERYWHERE NORTH  
OF I-70 TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 301 AM CDT MON SEP 21 2026  
 
07Z/2AM SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS A SLOW-MOVING COLD FRONT  
EXTENDING FROM WEST VIRGINIA TO SOUTHERN MISSOURI WHILE A 1030MB  
HIGH PRESSURE IS ANCHORED OVER ONTARIO. AN INFLUX OF COOLER/DRIER  
AIR FROM THE NORTHEAST HAS LED TO MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS NORTH  
OF THE I-72 CORRIDOR EARLY THIS MORNING. HOWEVER FURTHER SOUTH,  
THE NOCTURNAL LOW-LEVEL JET CONTINUES TO INTERACT WITH THE  
DEPARTING BOUNDARY TO TRIGGER CLUSTERS OF SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS. THE PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN MOST WIDESPREAD  
ALONG/SOUTH OF A JACKSONVILLE TO MATTOON LINE, AND THIS WILL  
CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS BEFORE THE  
BEST FORCING SHIFTS E/SE INTO THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY AND THE  
SHOWERS TAPER OFF TOWARD DAWN. DESPITE A PROMINENT DECREASE IN  
AREAL COVERAGE, THINK WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO  
BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS AN UPPER LOW SPINNING OVER  
NEBRASKA SLOWLY PIVOTS EASTWARD. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THE  
LOW OVERCAST CURRENTLY IN PLACE WILL PERSIST AS WELL, RESULTING  
IN A CLOUDY AND COOL DAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM THE  
MIDDLE TO UPPER 60S ALONG/NORTH OF I-72 TO THE UPPER 70S FAR  
SOUTHEAST AROUND FLORA AND LAWRENCEVILLE.  
 
ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL PERSIST TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING AS  
THE UPPER LOW GRADUALLY SHIFTS INTO NORTH-CENTRAL ILLINOIS. ONCE  
THIS FEATURE PUSHES TO THE EAST, SYNOPTIC SUBSIDENCE ON ITS  
BACK SIDE WILL LEAD TO AN END TO THE VERY LIGHT PRECIP AND  
PARTIAL CLEARING BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. HIGHS ON TUESDAY WILL BE  
SIMILAR TO TODAY, RANGING FROM THE MIDDLE 60S FAR NORTH TO THE  
MIDDLE 70S SOUTH OF I-70. AS SKIES CLEAR AND WINDS DIMINISH,  
RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL LEAD TO THE COOLEST NIGHT OF THE  
FORECAST PERIOD TUESDAY NIGHT. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL DROP INTO THE  
LOWER TO MIDDLE 50S, BUT MAY DIP INTO THE UPPER 40S IN A FEW  
LOW-LYING RURAL LOCATIONS WEST OF I-57. PROBABILITIES FOR TEMPS  
BELOW 50 DEGREES HAVE LOWERED ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS  
WHERE PARTIAL CLOUD COVER AND A LINGERING BREEZE MAY LIMIT  
COOLING: HOWEVER, THE 00Z NBM STILL INDICATES A 50-60% CHANCE  
NORTHWEST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER.  
 
AFTER THAT, THE DEPARTING UPPER LOW IS PROGGED TO LINGER OVER THE  
MID-ATLANTIC...CREATING A BLOCKING PATTERN ACROSS THE EASTERN  
CONUS. AS A RESULT, UPPER HEIGHTS WILL GRADUALLY RISE AS RIDGING  
BUILDS OVER THE MIDWEST BY THE END OF THE WEEK THROUGH EARLY  
NEXT WEEK. THE END RESULT WILL BE MOSTLY DRY WEATHER WITH SLOWLY  
WARMING TEMPERATURES CLIMBING BACK INTO THE UPPER 70S/LOWER 80S  
BY NEXT SUNDAY/MONDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 533 AM CDT MON SEP 21 2026  
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT TRACKED ALONG/SOUTH OF THE I-72  
CORRIDOR OVERNIGHT ARE CURRENTLY PUSHING EASTWARD INTO INDIANA  
AND WILL BE WELL E/SE OF THE CENTRAL ILLINOIS TERMINALS BY 12Z.  
DESPITE AN END TO THE RAINFALL, LOW CLOUDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH  
THE ENTIRE DAY. CEILINGS HAVE BEEN IFR OVER THE PAST SEVERAL  
HOURS: HOWEVER, E/NE WINDS ARE BRINGING SLIGHTLY DRIER BOUNDARY  
LAYER IN FROM THE GREAT LAKES AND CAUSING CEILINGS TO IMPROVE TO  
MVFR ALONG/NORTH OF THE I-74 CORRIDOR. MODELS ARE NOT HANDLING  
THIS PARTICULARLY WELL, SO AM BASING THE 12Z TAFS LARGELY UPON  
OBSERVATIONAL TRENDS. AS A RESULT, HAVE OPTED TO START  
KPIA/KBMI/KCMI AT MVFR...THEN RAISE KDEC TO MVFR BY 15Z AND  
KSPI BY 16Z. THE CLOUD COVER WILL HOLD FIRM THROUGH TONIGHT:  
HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS THE NORTHERN SITES MAY  
SCATTER OVERNIGHT. BASED ON THE HRRR/CONSSHORT FORECAST, HAVE  
GONE WITH VFR CONDITIONS AT KPIA AFTER 07Z AND AT KBMI AFTER  
09Z. FURTHER SOUTH, HAVE MAINTAINED MVFR. WINDS WILL BE NE AT  
10-15KT THROUGH THE ENTIRE 12Z TAF PERIOD.  
 
 
   
ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
KEY MESSAGES...BARNES  
DISCUSSION...BARNES  
AVIATION...BARNES  
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