452  
FXUS63 KLOT 221940  
AFDLOT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL  
140 PM CST SAT FEB 22 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- WARMING TREND INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. HIGHS IN THE 40S  
AND 50S MONDAY AND TUESDAY, AND POSSIBLY INTO WEDNESDAY.  
 
- CHANCES FOR RAIN/SHOWERS MONDAY NIGHT (30-40%) AND WEDNESDAY  
INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT (40-50%)  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 140 PM CST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT:  
 
NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IS EXPECTED IN THE SHORT TERM. A SHORTWAVE  
TROUGH WILL RIDE THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT INTO THE REGION SUNDAY,  
BUT DRY LOW LEVELS SHOULD PREVENT ANY PRECIPITATION WITH JUST SOME  
VIRGA EXPECTED. WARM AIR ADVECTION IN ADVANCE OF THIS WAVE SHOULD  
RESULT IN SIGNIFICANTLY MILDER TEMPERATURES SUNDAY AFTERNOON,  
MILDEST NEAR/SOUTH OF I-80 WHERE LITTLE, IF ANY, SNOW COVER  
EXISTS.  
 
- IZZI  
 
MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY:  
 
PERSISTENT SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY WITH  
850 MB TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 5C AND 8C. SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE  
EXPECTED INTO THE 40S WITH A CHANCE FOR THE LOW 50S FOR AREAS  
SOUTH OF I-80. A DRY AIR MASS WILL KEEP THINGS PRECIP FREE  
DURING THE DAY. WITH A STRENGTHENING SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT  
AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM, WINDS COULD BE BREEZY IN THE AFTERNOON  
WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 20 TO 25 MPH.  
 
A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES ALOFT WILL PASS OVER THE REGION  
THROUGH THE COURSE OF NEXT WEEK. ON MONDAY NIGHT, A SHORT WAVE  
WILL DROP OUT OF CANADA AND QUICKLY PASS OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS.  
WHILE MODELS ARE STILL BOUNCING AROUND ON THE EXACT TRACK OF  
THE LOW, THE CONSENSUS IS FOR THE STRONGEST FORCING TO REMAIN  
JUST NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. HOWEVER, WEST-SOUTHWEST FLOW  
WILL PROVIDE DECENT WARM AIR ADVECTION ACROSS ILLINOIS. WITH  
COLDER TEMPERATURES ALOFT, MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES COULD STEEPEN  
TO AROUND 7C/KM AS THE WAVE PASSES OVER. HOWEVER, EVEN AS  
SURFACE TEMPERATURES DROP BACK INTO THE 30S OVERNIGHT, THEY  
SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING, KEEPING THE PRECIP TYPE ALL RAIN.  
OTHER THAN SOME LINGER RAIN IN NORTHWEST INDIANA, MOST OF THE  
SYSTEM SHOULD MOVE EAST OF THE AREA AT OR JUST AFTER DAYBREAK  
FOR A DRIER TUESDAY.  
 
THE WARMER AIR MASS WILL LINGER TUESDAY AND EVEN INTO THE EARLY  
PART OF WEDNESDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN  
THE 40S WITH CHANCES FOR LOW 50S SOUTH OF I-80 EACH DAY. THERE  
IS LOWER CONFIDENCE IN THE EXACT HIGH TEMPERATURES ON WEDNESDAY  
GIVEN THE CLOUD COVER EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM.  
 
THERE IS LOWER CONFIDENCE IN THE EXACT TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF  
THIS NEXT SYSTEM SINCE MODELS ARE STILL NOT COMING INTO  
AGREEMENT ON THE EXACT PLACEMENT AND TRACK OF THE SURFACE LOW.  
NEVERTHELESS, THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL WAVE WITH STEEPER MID LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES IS EXPECTED TO DROP DOWN AND PROVIDE CHANCES FOR  
RAIN ON WEDNESDAY AND POTENTIALLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. MODELS ARE  
SUGGESTING THAT THIS SYSTEM COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE A LITTLE BIT  
MORE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH IT (COMPARED TO THE MONDAY  
NIGHT SYSTEM). WHILE ONLY A FEW ENSEMBLE MEMBERS HAVE UP TO A  
HALF AN INCH OF RAIN WITH THIS SYSTEM, IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO  
MONITOR GIVEN THE FROZEN GROUND AROUND THE AREA. LASTLY, WINDS  
WILL FLIP OVER TO THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY  
EVENING. MODELS HAVE PULLED BACK ON ANY WINTRY PRECIP MIXING IN.  
THERE IS A NON-ZERO CHANCE A FEW FLAKES MIX IN ON THE BACKSIDE  
AS THE SYSTEM EXITS, BUT THE BEST FORCING SHOULD BE OUT AHEAD OF  
THE FRONT IN THE WARM SECTOR SO THE OFFICIAL FORECAST KEPT THE  
PRECIP TYPE AS RAIN FOR THE TIME BEING.  
 
AFTER A BRIEF RIDGE BUILDS IN MOMENTARILY FOR A DRIER FRIDAY,  
IT LOOKS LIKE THE NEXT WAVE WILL PASS OVER SOUTHERN ONTARIO  
FRIDAY NIGHT AND INTO SATURDAY. BOTH THE EURO AND GFS ARE  
KEEPING THE CENTER OF THE LOW NORTH OF THE AREA, BUT EXTENDING  
THE SURFACE TROUGH ALL THE WAY DOWN TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS. FOR  
NOW, THE BLEND PROVIDED ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR PRECIP (AROUND  
20 PERCENT) WHICH SEEMED FINE AT THIS RANGE. HOWEVER, WITH THE  
CHANCES FOR TEMPERATURES BACK NEAR THE FREEZING MARK, THIS  
SYSTEM COULD BE THE NEXT CHANCE FOR A RAIN/SNOW MIX TO RETURN TO  
THE AREA, ALTHOUGH ENSEMBLE MODELS ARE NOT SHOWING A SIGNAL FOR  
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS.  
 
DK  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1109 AM CST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS FOR THE 18Z  
TAF PERIOD.  
 
SW WINDS WILL CONTINUE GUSTING TO NEAR OR JUST OVER 20 KT FOR  
THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON BEFORE SUBSIDING TO UNDER 10 KT  
FOR TONIGHT. LIGHT WINDS MAY SHIFT TO NEAR-SOUTHERLY AT TIMES  
TONIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY BEFORE GOING SW NEAR 10 KT FOR THE  
BETTER PART OF THE DAY. VFR CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 
DOOM  
 

 
   
LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
IL...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR WINTHROP  
HARBOR TO WILMETTE HARBOR IL.  
 

 
 

 
 
VISIT US AT WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab IL Page
The Nexlab IN Page Main Text Page