718  
FXUS63 KLOT 301738  
AFDLOT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL  
1238 PM CDT SUN MAR 30 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- THERE IS A THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER AREAWIDE ON SUNDAY  
ESPECIALLY BETWEEN 11 AM AND 5 PM CDT THAT INCLUDES ALL  
HAZARDS (DAMAGING WINDS, DAMAGING HAIL, TORNADOES).  
 
- A PERIOD OF BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED MONDAY AND  
TUESDAY BEFORE ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM (WITH A THREAT FOR SEVERE  
WEATHER) ARRIVES ON WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
MESOSCALE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1048 AM CDT SUN MAR 30 2025  
 
WE CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR AND ANALYZE THE MESOSCALE  
ENVIRONMENT ACROSS OUR AREA AND TO THE SOUTHWEST FOR THE  
DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE CONVECTION OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. A  
MCV TIED INTO THE BROADER MID-LEVEL TROUGH IS WELL-DEFINED AND  
CENTERED ROUGHLY 100 MILES WEST OF ST. LOUIS AS OF 10AM. WHILE  
THE MCV HAS BEEN MOSTLY BENIGN THROUGH THE MORNING, IT WILL  
BEGIN TO INTERACT WITH A PLUME OF MID 60S DEW POINTS AND NOTABLE  
ONGOING CLEARING JUST EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND INTO  
CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  
 
EXPECTATIONS ARE THAT CONVECTION SHOULD ERUPT WITHIN THE NEXT  
HOUR OR SO OVER OR JUST EAST OF THE MS RIVER. AN INCOMING 60  
KNOT MID-LEVEL JET, 0-1KM SHEAR SURPASSING 25 KNOTS WITH MORE  
THAN 60 DEGREES OFF THE ORIENTATION OF THE CONVECTION, AND  
IMPRESSIVE 0-3KM CAPE VALUES OVER 150 J/KG SHOULD YIELD RAPID  
UPSCALE GROWTH OF A LINE OF SEVERE CONVECTION EAST OF I-55  
THROUGH MID-AFTERNOON. DAMAGING WIND CAN BE EXPECTED, WITH LARGE  
HAIL ALSO POSSIBLE WITH ANY EMBEDDED SUPERCELL STRUCTURES. ALSO,  
SIGNIFICANT WIND (>75 MPH) WOULD BE FAVORED WITH ANY LOCALIZED  
BOWING SEGMENTS OF THE CONVECTION.  
 
WITH THE MCV/WAVE EXPECTED TO TRACK WITHIN A COUNTY OR SO OF  
I-55, SEVERE CONVECTION COULD EXTEND WELL INTO THE CHICAGO  
METRO. A LOCALIZED TORNADO THREAT WILL ALSO EXIST OVER THE  
CHICAGO METRO (AND WITH ANY KINKS IN THE MAIN LINE) WHERE THE  
TRAJECTORY OF CONVECTION ARCING INTO THE MCV WOULD MAXIMIZE  
EFFECTIVE LOW-LEVEL SHEAR.  
 
KLUBER  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 313 AM CDT SUN MAR 30 2025  
 
THROUGH MONDAY:  
 
PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN REMAINS SEVERE POTENTIAL TODAY.  
 
IN THE SHORT TERM, WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE DEVELOPED  
LATE SATURDAY EVENING AND IS SLOWLY LIFTING NORTHEAST ACROSS  
NORTHEAST IL. THIS IS EXPECTED TO END BY DAYBREAK. THE FRONTAL  
BOUNDARY WILL SLOWLY LIFT BACK NORTH, THOUGH ONLY MEDIUM  
CONFIDENCE ON HOW FAST THIS OCCURS. WHILE AREAS OF FOG WILL  
REMAIN POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE, LOW  
LEVEL WINDS ARE ALREADY IN THE 20-30KT RANGE AND THIS IS LIKELY  
KEEPING THE LOW LEVELS MIXED JUST ENOUGH TO PREVENT DENSE FOG,  
BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR TRENDS EARLY THIS MORNING.  
 
AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHEAST IA WILL CONTINUE  
LIFTING NORTHEAST THROUGH DAYBREAK AND MAY MOVE ACROSS THE FAR  
NORTHWEST CWA AND POSSIBLY THE ROCKFORD AREA. THESE STORMS ARE  
NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE BUT GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL WOULD  
BE POSSIBLE.  
 
ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO ONGOING CONVECTION MOVING NORTHEAST INTO  
WESTERN MO AND HOW THIS ACTIVITY WILL INFLUENCE THE CONVECTIVE  
EVOLUTION FOR THE LOCAL AREA LATER TODAY. IT APPEARS THERE ARE  
THREE POSSIBLE SCENARIOS. THE FIRST, THE CURRENT CONVECTION  
CONTINUES MOVING NORTHEAST AND INTO THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA,  
PERHAPS WEST OF I-57. WHILE THIS ACTIVITY WOULD LIKELY HAVE  
GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL AND PERHAPS EVEN AN ISOLATED SEVERE  
STORM, THIS WOULD HELP STABILIZE THE NORTHERN CWA WITH LATER/NEW  
CONVECTION LIKELY ENDING UP ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OR THIRD  
OF THE CWA. CURRENT TIMING WOULD SUGGEST AN ARRIVAL INTO THE  
SOUTHWEST CWA IN THE 14Z HOUR AND THEN SPREADING ACROSS THE CWA  
THROUGH LATE MORNING. THE HRRR HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY SHOWING  
THIS POSSIBILITY FOR MANY RUNS.  
 
THE SECOND SCENARIO IS THE ACTIVITY ENTERING MO SLOWS AND  
WEAKENS AND THEN REIGNITES MIDDAY OVER THE CWA, WHICH WILL WOULD  
THEN ALLOW FOR A SEVERE THREAT FURTHER NORTH, INCLUDING MUCH OF  
THE CHICAGO METRO. THE RAP AND TO SOME EXTENT THE NAMNEST  
SUGGEST THIS POSSIBILITY.  
 
THE THIRD POSSIBILITY, THE ACTIVITY MOVING IN MO WEAKENS/  
DISSIPATES AND THIS MORNING IS SOMEWHAT QUIET, UNTIL NEW STORMS  
DEVELOP. THIS TOO WOULD BRING THE SEVERE THREAT FURTHER NORTH  
AND INTO THE CHICAGO METRO AREA. THE ECMWF HAD BEEN SHOWING THIS  
POSSIBILITY FOR SEVERAL RUNS BUT WITH THE 00Z RUN, NOW HAS AT  
LEAST ISOLATED ACTIVITY THIS MORNING, MAKING THIS PROBABLY THE  
LEAST LIKELY OF THE THREE POSSIBILITIES.  
 
DESPITE THE UNCERTAINTY, THE OVERALL MESSAGE REMAINS THE SAME.  
LOW PRESSURE WILL PASS ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA THIS AFTERNOON,  
WITH THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED, SOME SEVERE, WITH THE HIGHEST  
COVERAGE AND BEST SEVERE POTENTIAL, LIKELY SOUTH OF I-80. THE  
NEW SPC DAY1 OUTLOOK IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS DAY2  
OUTLOOK. HIGHER CONFIDENCE WILL MATERIALIZE AS TRENDS EMERGE  
WITH THE CONVECTION MOVING THROUGH MO THIS MORNING.  
 
ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP TODAY WILL BE RACING TO THE NORTHEAST  
AT 50-60 MPH AND IT APPEARS THE ACTIVITY WILL BE EAST OF THE CWA  
BY 22Z-23Z. HAVE ADJUSTED POPS ACCORDINGLY, GOING DRY IN THE  
WEST BY LATE AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA.  
AFTER HIGHS IN THE MID/UPPER 60S NORTHWEST, LOWER 70S REST OF  
THE AREA TODAY, TEMPS WILL STEADILY DROP TONIGHT WITH LOWS  
MONDAY MORNING IN THE LOWER/MID 30S. SOUTHWEST WINDS MAY GUST AS  
HIGH AS 35 MPH TODAY, THEN TURN WEST/NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT  
AND WHILE SPEEDS/GUSTS WILL DIMINISH SOME BY MONDAY MORNING,  
WIND CHILLS MAY BE IN THE 20S FOR MUCH OF THE AREA.  
 
PRECIP TRENDS FOR TONIGHT HAVE STEADILY LOWERED WITH MOST OF THE  
MODELS SUGGESTING ONLY A FEW RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE  
NORTHEAST CWA AND HAVE LOWERED POPS TO LOW CHANCE. MUCH OF THE  
SOUTHWEST/SOUTHERN CWA MAY END UP DRY. HIGHS ONLY REACH THE MID  
40S MONDAY WITH WINDS TURNING OFF LAKE MICHIGAN MONDAY  
AFTERNOON. CMS  
 
MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY:  
 
AFTER A CHILLY START TO THE WORK WEEK TEMPERATURES WILL  
GRADUALLY MODERATE TOWARD MIDWEEK WHEN MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF  
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY,  
SOME OF WHICH COULD BE SEVERE.  
 
ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO LIFT ACROSS THE  
UPPER MIDWEST TOWARD MIDWEEK WHICH WILL BRING YET ANOTHER PERIOD  
OF INCLEMENT WEATHER TO THE LOCAL AREA. GUIDANCE HAS TRENDED  
MORE CONSISTENTLY EARLIER WITH THE ONSET OF SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS, WITH STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS  
MOVING INTO THE AREA AS EARLY AS THE PRE-DAWN HOURS EARLY  
WEDNESDAY MORNING (POTENTIALLY IN A WEAKENING PHASE) NEAR AND  
WEST OF I-39. THIS COINCIDES WITH WHERE THE STORM PREDICTION  
CENTER INTRODUCED A LEVEL 2 OF 5 SEVERE WEATHER THREAT ON DAY  
3. ADDITIONAL WAVES OF SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH  
THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY. DEPENDING ON THE TIMING OF STORMS EXITING  
IN THE MORNING THERE IS A WINDOW FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG TO  
SEVERE STORMS IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. SIMILAR TO  
TODAY'S (SUNDAY) SETUP, GIVEN THE CONDITIONAL NATURE OF THE  
SEVERE THREAT, EXPECT UPDATES OVER THE COMING DAYS TO THE  
FORECAST.  
 
UNCERTAINTY INCREASES LATE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND WHEN ANOTHER  
SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE BROADER REGION, THOUGH  
DIFFERENCES IN ITS PLACEMENT REMAIN. FOR NOW NBM RAIN CHANCES  
SEEM APPROPRIATE (HIGHEST SOUTH OF I-80) WITH TEMPERATURES  
GENERALLY IN THE 50S TO LOWER 60S.  
 
PETR  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1238 PM CDT SUN MAR 30 2025  
 
KEY AVIATION MESSAGES FOR THE CURRENT TAF PERIOD:  
 
- SCATTERED STORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 21Z, SOME OF WHICH MAY  
BECOME SEVERE  
 
- GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD, BEFORE A LAKE  
BREEZE ARRIVES MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR NORTHEAST WINDS  
 
- MVFR CIGS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING  
 
- BRIEF SHOWERS THAT MAY HAVE SOME SNOW MIXED IN AROUND 06Z  
CLOSE TO THE WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS STATELINE  
 
CLOUD COVER HAS BROKEN UP FOR A BRIEF VFR WINDOW THROUGH  
18-1830Z. HOWEVER, THE CLEARER SKIES TO THE SOUTH WHICH HAS  
ALLOWED FOR DESTABILIZATION IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WITH STORMS  
STARTING TO DEVELOP. TAFS WERE ISSUED WITH PREVAILING -SHRA AT  
THE START, BUT THERE MAY BE A DELAY FOR WHEN SHOWERS ARE  
SPECIFICALLY AT TERMINALS. NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE TEMPO FOR  
CHICAGO TERMINALS WITH 19Z TO 21Z BEING THE MAIN WINDOW FOR  
STRONGER SCATTERED STORMS TO PASS OVER TERMINALS, SOME OF WHICH  
MAY BE SEVERE. FOR RFD, HOWEVER, IS EXPECTED TO HAVE LOWER  
INSTABILITY DROPPING THE PROBABILITY FOR THUNDER BELOW 30  
PERCENT. THEREFORE, WITH DECREASED CONFIDENCE IN HAVING THUNDER,  
IT WAS KEPT OUT OF THE TAFS AND WILL BE HANDLED TACTICALLY IF IT  
DOES MATERIALIZE. AS STORMS PASS OVER TERMINALS, EXPECTED LOWER  
CIGS NEAR IFR LEVELS, LOWER VIS FROM HEAVIER RAINFALL, AND  
STRONG WIND GUSTS.  
 
AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH, OTHER THAN SOME LINGERING SHOWERS  
TRAILING BEHIND, DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AFTER 21Z, BUT  
THE MVFR CIGS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN THROUGH THE EVENING. THERE  
IS A SLIM CHANCE FOR SOME LOWERING TO IFR OVERNIGHT, BUT NOT  
GENERALLY EXPECTED.  
 
THE SURFACE LOW DRIVING TODAY'S STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE  
EAST-NORTHEAST THROUGH THE NIGHT. MOISTURE WILL WRAP AROUND THE  
LOW AND TEMPERATURES WILL DROP. THERE IS A BRIEF WINDOW FOR  
SHOWERS, BUT CONFIDENCE WAS FOR TERMINALS CLOSER TO THE  
WISCONSIN STATELINE. AS TEMPERATURES DROP, THERE IS A CHANCE FOR  
SOME SNOW TO MIX IN FOR A BRIEF WINDOW OF -RASN.  
 
LASTLY, WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH  
MOST TAF PERIODS. GUSTS WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH THROUGH THIS  
EVENING, BUT GUSTS AROUND 20 KNOTS ARE CERTAINLY POSSIBLE  
THROUGH MONDAY EARLY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER, A LAKE BREEZE IS  
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE MID AFTERNOON. LATER TAF PACKAGES  
WILL LIKELY FINE TUNED THE TIMING FOR CLEARING TO VFR AS WELL AS  
THE FLIP TO NORTHEAST WINDS FOR CHICAGO TERMINALS.  
 
DK  
 

 
   
LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
IL...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CDT TUESDAY FOR THE IL AND IN  
NEARSHORE WATERS.  
 

 
 

 
 
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