146  
FXUS63 KILX 011725  
AFDILX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL  
1225 PM CDT THU OCT 1 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF WIDESPREAD RAIN WILL TRACK ACROSS THE  
REGION THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. BROAD RAINFALL TOTALS OF ONE  
HALF TO ONE INCH ARE EXPECTED, THOUGH LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN  
BANDS COULD PRODUCE ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES.  
 
- TEMPERATURES DROP SIGNIFICANTLY HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND,  
WITH HIGHS FROM THE MID 60S TO AROUND 70 FRIDAY AND SATURDAY,  
AND OVERNIGHT LOWS FALLING INTO THE 40S.  
 
- DRY CONDITIONS AND SEASONABLY COOL TEMPERATURES LOOK TO  
CONTINUE NEXT WORK WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 258 AM CDT THU OCT 1 2026  
 
AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW REMAINS CENTERED OVER SE COLORADO PER EARLY  
MORNING GOES WATER VAPOR IMAGERY. DOWNSTREAM, COMPACT MID-LEVEL  
SHORTWAVES CONTINUE TRAVERSING THE OZARKS AND UPPER/MID-  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, PROVIDING SUFFICIENT SYNOPTIC LIFT FOR  
SHOWERY PRECIPITATION OVER NORTHERN MISSOURI. MEANWHILE, AN  
ELONGATED LOW-LEVEL JET (LLJ) AXIS STRETCHING FROM THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS TO THE GREAT LAKES IS VEERING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING,  
SLOW-MOVING COLD FRONT, DRIVING WARM AIR ADVECTION AND DEEP  
ISENTROPIC ASCENT TO FURTHER BOLSTER RAIN ACTIVITY.  
 
BY MIDDAY, THE SOUTHWEST U.S. UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH IS FORECAST TO  
OPEN UP AND EJECT NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE MID-MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY, POSITIONING ITSELF PARALLEL TO THE SLUGGISH SURFACE  
FRONTAL BOUNDARY. STRONG UPPER-LEVEL DYNAMICS, COMBINED WITH A  
PLUME OF RICH TROPICAL MOISTURE AND FOCUSED FRONTAL FORCING,  
WILL SET THE STAGE FOR MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF WIDESPREAD RAINFALL  
BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON AND LASTING THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY  
MORNING.  
 
THE LATEST 00Z REFS LPMM QPF GUIDANCE INDICATES BROAD TOTALS  
RANGING FROM 0.25" TO 0.75" EAST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY  
INTO SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. NEVERTHELESS, ROBUST FRONTOGENETICAL  
FORCING AND HIGH MOISTURE FLUX ALONG THE SLOW-MOVING BOUNDARY  
FAVOR NARROW MESOSCALE RAIN BANDING. UNDERNEATH THESE LOCALIZED  
BANDS, RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2" TO 3" REMAIN ENTIRELY  
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CWA.  
 
DRIER CONDITIONS WILL QUICKLY OVERSPREAD THE REGION FROM  
NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST FRIDAY MORNING AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY  
EXITS AND AN EXPANSIVE CONTINENTAL POLAR (CP) HIGH PUSHES EAST  
ACROSS THE MIDWEST AND GREAT LAKES. STRONG POST-FRONTAL COLD AIR  
ADVECTION WILL DRIVE A PRONOUNCED AIRMASS CHANGE, REPLACING  
EARLY-WEEK WARMTH WITH SEASONAL FALL CONDITIONS. HIGHS ON FRIDAY  
AND SATURDAY WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 60S, WHILE OVERNIGHT LOWS  
FALL INTO THE 40S. ENSEMBLE MODELS SHOW HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT  
THIS EXPANSIVE CANADIAN SURFACE HIGH WILL REMAIN ENTRENCHED  
THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK, PROLONGING A PERIOD OF TRANQUIL, CRISP  
AUTUMN WEATHER.  
 
A WARMING TREND TAKES HOLD BY MID-WEEK AS A POTENT MID-LEVEL  
TROUGH DIGS FROM THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES,  
SHIFTING THE SURFACE HIGH EASTWARD. SOUTHWARD VEERING SURFACE  
WINDS AHEAD OF AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT WILL SUBSEQUENTLY BOOST  
TEMPERATURES BACK INTO THE MID- TO UPPER-70S.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1224 PM CDT THU OCT 1 2026  
 
MVFR CONDITIONS AND OCCASIONAL IFR WILL DEVELOP BY 18Z-00Z  
ACROSS THE CENTRAL IL TERMINALS AS A COLD FRONT AND MULTIPLE  
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN TO THE AREA INTO  
TONIGHT. CONDITIONS LOOK TO BEGIN IMPROVING AT KPIA AROUND 08Z  
AND AT KDEC AND KCMI AROUND 15Z AS THE COLD FRONT PUSHES OFF TO  
THE EAST. WINDS SW 10-15 KTS WITH A FEW GUSTS OVER 20 KTS THIS  
AFTERNOON, DECREASING AND SHIFTING TO N 8-12 KTS BY 00Z-06Z. N  
WINDS INCREASING TO 10-15 KTS WITH GUSTS AROUND 20 KTS BY  
12Z-15Z.  
 

 
   
ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
KEY MESSAGES...37  
DISCUSSION...MJA  
AVIATION...37  
 
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