600  
FXUS63 KLOT 210313  
AFDLOT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL  
913 PM CST MON JAN 20 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- OCCASIONAL FLURRIES WITH SOME BRIEF LIGHT SNOW SOUTH OF THE  
KANKAKEE RIVER TONIGHT, ENDING BEFORE SUNRISE.  
 
- ANOTHER BITTERLY COLD NIGHT AHEAD WITH WIND CHILLS IN THE -20F  
TO -30F RANGE. COLD WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL  
NOON TUESDAY.  
 
- 30-40 PERCENT CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ON WEDNESDAY WHICH  
COULD LEAD TO SLIPPERY TRAVEL.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 913 PM CST MON JAN 20 2025  
 
FORECAST LOW TEMPS, WINDS, WIND CHILLS, AND FLURRIES/LIGHT SNOW  
ALL RIGHT ON TRACK FOR TONIGHT. STILL ANTICIPATE FLURRIES AND  
PATCHY LIGHT SNOW SOUTH OF I-80 TO END LATE TONIGHT. CAN'T RULE  
OUT SOME ICE CRYSTAL/PIXIE DUST LIKE FLURRIES IN THE AIR  
TOMORROW MORNING WITH SUCH BITTER COLD TEMPS, BUT NOTHING THAT  
SEEMS WORTHY OF ADDING FLURRIES TO THE FORECAST.  
 
DID MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO HOURLY TEMP TRENDS TUESDAY MORNING  
INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THE HEART OF THE ARCTIC AIR MASS WITH  
850MB TEMPS AROUND -30C WILL BE CENTERED OVER OUR CWA 15-18Z  
TOMORROW. SUSPECT THAT THE RECOVERY FROM OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE  
SLOW TO OCCUR WITH MANY AREAS NORTH OF I-80 LIKELY NEAR OR A  
HAIR BELOW ZERO STILL BY NOON. WINDS WILL EASE EVER SO SLIGHTLY  
LATE TONIGHT, BUT BY MID MORNING WINDS SHOULD BEGIN PICKING UP  
AGAIN, SO EVEN WITH TEMPS RISING SLOWLY, THE INCREASING WINDS  
WILL RESULT IN A VERY SLOW IMPROVEMENT IN WIND CHILLS. EXPECT  
MANY AREAS TO STILL HAVE WIND CHILLS BETWEEN -17F AND -23F AT  
NOON TOMORROW, SO EXTENDED THE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY OUT 2 MORE  
HOURS INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON.  
 
OTHERWISE, FORECAST APPEARS RIGHT ON TRACK WITH NO CHANGES  
PLANNED.  
 
- IZZI  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 300 PM CST MON JAN 20 2025  
 
THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT:  
 
CLOUD COVER HAS BEEN INCREASING ACROSS MUCH OF THE MIDWEST  
(INCLUDING NORTHERN IL) THIS AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER-LEVEL  
DISTURBANCE PIVOTS THROUGH THE REGION. GIVEN THE COLD AIR MASS  
IN PLACE, CLOUD TOP TEMPERATURES ARE SITTING BELOW -20C WHICH  
HAS YIELDED SOME FLURRIES AND EVEN A FEW BONAFIDE SNOW SHOWERS  
WHERE LOW-LEVEL INSTABILITY HAS MAXIMIZED. THESE FLURRIES AND  
SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO DRIFT INTO NORTHERN IL AND  
NORTHWEST IN OVER THE NEXT 1 TO 3 HOURS AND PERSIST THROUGH AT  
LEAST MIDNIGHT BEFORE TAPERING. WHILE ACCUMULATIONS WITH ANY  
FLURRIES ARE NOT EXPECTED, THE FINE SNOW GRAINS AND BLUSTERY  
WINDS MAY PRODUCE LOCAL VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS IN THE 3 TO 5 MILE  
RANGE WITH LOWER VALUES POSSIBLE WITH ANY TRUE SHOWERS.  
HOWEVER, SOME SNOW ACCUMULATIONS (GENERALLY UNDER A QUARTER  
INCH) MAY OCCUR WITH THE SNOW SHOWERS; ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS  
SOUTH OF THE KANKAKEE RIVER WHERE BETTER SHOWER COVERAGE IS  
FORECAST. THAT SAID, THOSE PLANNING TO BE OUT AND ABOUT TONIGHT  
SHOULD USE CAUTION IN CASE OF SLIPPERY ROADS AND VISIBILITY  
CHANGES.  
 
THE BIGGER WEATHER STORY OF THE NIGHT WILL BE THE RETURN OF  
BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES AND WIND CHILLS AS THE SNOW DEPARTS.  
WHILE SOME GUIDANCE IS SHOWING CLOUD COVER PERSISTING OVERNIGHT,  
THE THIN NATURE OF ANY CLOUDS SHOULDN'T INHIBIT RADIATIONAL  
COOLING MUCH. THEREFORE, EXPECT OVERNIGHT LOWS TO DIP BELOW ZERO  
WITH WIND CHILLS EXPECTED TO BOTTOM OUT IN THE -20F TO -30F  
RANGE BY DAYBREAK. SINCE THE -30F WIND CHILLS WILL BE MORE  
ISOLATED, HAVE DECIDED TO MAINTAIN THE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FOR  
NOW BUT IF MORE WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF THESE WIND CHILLS OCCUR  
AN UPGRADE TO A EXTREME COLD WARNING MAY BE CONSIDERED.  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL REBOUND A BIT ON TUESDAY, BUT DESPITE THE  
SUNSHINE, HIGHS WILL ONLY TOP OUT IN THE LOW SINGLE DIGITS.  
COUPLE THIS WITH THE 15 TO 20 MPH WINDS, WIND CHILLS WILL REMAIN  
IN THE NEGATIVE TEENS THROUGH THE DAY ON TUESDAY. HOWEVER, AS  
WINDS TURN MORE SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY TUESDAY NIGHT TEMPERATURES  
SHOULD GRADUALLY INCREASE HEADING INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. THOUGH,  
LOWS TUESDAY NIGHT WILL STILL BE AROUND ZERO TO NEGATIVE SINGLE  
DIGITS BEFORE THIS OCCURS.  
 
YACK  
 
WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY:  
 
SOUTHWESTERLY WARM ADVECTION WILL BE WELL UNDERWAY AT THE  
BEGINNING OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD WITH THE REGION  
SITUATED BETWEEN A 1030+MB HIGH OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC AND LOW  
PRESSURE DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHERN MINNESOTA/SOUTHWEST ONTARIO.  
WHILE TEMPERATURES WILL ACCORDINGLY BE INCREASING STEADILY  
THROUGHOUT THE DAY, SUB-ZERO WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING DUE TO STRONG WINDS.  
 
IN ADDITION TO THE WARMING TEMPERATURES AND GUSTY WINDS TO 25-30  
MPH, THERE REMAINS THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WEDNESDAY  
MORNING THROUGH THE EVENING. A PAIR OF SHORTWAVES ARE FORECAST TO  
MOVE THROUGH THE BROADER REGION DURING THIS TIME, ONE PAIRED WITH  
THE AFOREMENTIONED SURFACE LOW ACROSS THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES  
AND A SEPARATE SHEARED OUT WAVE PIVOTING OUT OF THE CENTRAL  
PLAINS. WHILE THESE FEATURES DON'T APPEAR TO PHASE FULLY (AT LEAST  
AT THIS RANGE), ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH THEM SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT  
FOR SNOW.  
 
MODELED VERTICAL PROFILES SHOW A STOUT BUT DRY LAYER IN THE  
LOWEST LEVELS, AT LEAST INITIALLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. HOWEVER, THE  
MID-LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO SATURATE, WITH THE SATURATION BECOMING  
QUITE DEEP THROUGH THE DGZ (2-3+ KM AT TIMES) WHICH WOULD SUPPORT  
LARGE ENOUGH DENDRITES TO PUNCH THROUGH THIS DRY LAYER. WHILE IT  
WILL BE NOTABLY WARMER THAN THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEK, AIR  
TEMPERATURES STILL IN THE TEENS AND LOWER 20S WOULD ALLOW SNOW TO  
READILY ACCUMULATE ON UNTREATED SURFACES. MODELS CONTINUE TO  
SUPPORT A MOSTLY LIGHTER QPF SCENARIO WITH THIS SYSTEM, WITH  
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS GENERALLY IN THE 1" OR LESS RANGE, JUST ENOUGH TO  
MAKE UNTREATED ROADS SLIPPERY. FOR NOW HAVE MAINTAINED MAINLY  
30-40 PERCENT CHANCES FOR SNOW WITH THIS SYSTEM. WOULD LIKE TO SEE  
HOW SOME OF THE HI-RES GUIDANCE HANDLES THINGS BEFORE INTRODUCING  
"LIKELY" OR HIGHER POPS (55%+), BUT SUSPECT THAT IS WHERE THINGS  
ARE HEADED.  
 
THE COLD FRONT EVENTUALLY MOVES THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT  
INTO THURSDAY MORNING, TEMPORARILY STALLING OUR WARMING TREND  
WITH HIGHS IN MID-UPPER 20S. LAKE EFFECT SNOW MAY LINGER IN  
NORTHEAST PORTER COUNTY ON THURSDAY, OTHERWISE DRY CONDITIONS ARE  
FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK WITH TEMPERATURES GRADUALLY  
MODERATING EACH DAY BACK ABOVE FREEZING ON SATURDAY. WHILE A  
QUICK HIT OF LIGHT SNOW CAN'T BE RULED OUT AT TIMES, ENSEMBLE  
TRENDS FAVOR GENERALLY DRIER CONDITIONS CONTINUING.  
 
PETR  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 525 PM CST MON JAN 20 2025  
 
THE MAIN AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS FOR THE 00Z TAF PERIOD  
INCLUDE:  
 
* FLURRIES AND LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT WITH  
ASSOCIATED MVFR POSSIBLE  
 
A SYSTEM OF LIGHT SNOW IS PUSHING ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI AS OF  
2330Z. THIS SNOW WILL PROGRESS EASTWARD AND APPROACH RFD NEAR  
00Z AND CLOSER TO 02Z AT THE CHICAGO SITES. THE SNOW SHOULD BE  
MOSTLY NON-IMPACTFUL WITH LARGELY VFR CONDITIONS, ALTHOUGH BRIEF  
PERIODS OF MVFR CIGS AND, MORE LIKELY, VSBYS WILL BE POSSIBLE,  
ESPECIALLY THROUGH THIS EVENING. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE  
AREA INTO THE OVERNIGHT BEFORE MOVING AWAY PRIOR TO DAYBREAK.  
LIGHT DUSTINGS OF ACCUMULATION WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.  
 
MEANWHILE, WNW WINDS WILL CONTINUE GUSTING INTO THE 20 TO 25 KT  
RANGE THROUGH THE EVENING AND INTO TONIGHT BEFORE SUBSIDING  
CLOSER TO 15 TO 20 KT AFTER ABOUT 08Z. EXPECT WESTERLIES GUSTING  
INTO THE LOW 20 KT RANGE DURING THE DAYTIME TOMORROW, SUBSIDING  
FOR THE EVENING.  
 
DOOM  
 
 
   
LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
IL...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 2 PM CST TUESDAY FOR ILZ003-ILZ004-  
ILZ005-ILZ006-ILZ008-ILZ010-ILZ011-ILZ012-ILZ013-ILZ019-  
ILZ020-ILZ021-ILZ023-ILZ032-ILZ033-ILZ039-ILZ103-ILZ104-  
ILZ105-ILZ106-ILZ107-ILZ108.  
 
IN...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 2 PM CST /3 PM EST/ TUESDAY FOR  
INZ001-INZ002-INZ010-INZ011-INZ019.  
 
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM CST TUESDAY FOR THE IL AND IN  
NEARSHORE WATERS.  
 
 
 
 
 
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