603  
FXUS63 KLOT 110806  
AFDLOT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL  
306 AM CDT THU SEP 11 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- DRY WEATHER EXPECTED THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK WITH A  
CONTINUED WARMING TREND.  
 
- UNSEASONABLY WARM WITH A (LESS THAN 30 PERCENT) CHANCE OF  
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND  
AGAIN SATURDAY NIGHT.  
 
- SEASONABLY WARM AND DRY FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 306 AM CDT THU SEP 11 2025  
 
THROUGH FRIDAY:  
 
A COUPLE OF RELATIVELY MINOR FORECAST CONCERNS EARLY THIS  
MORNING, INCLUDING SOME FADING ISOLATED SHOWERS/SPRINKLES OVER  
THE SOUTHERN CHICAGO SUBURBS, AND AN AREA OF FOG AND LOW STRATUS  
PUSHING SOUTH ALONG THE LAKE AND ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEASTERN  
WI. BEYOND THAT, DRY AND WARMER CONDITIONS (THOUGH WITH A BIT OF  
A LAKE-COOLING FOOTPRINT TODAY) ARE EXPECTED FOR THE END OF THE  
WORK WEEK.  
 
ONE LAST MID-LEVEL VORT WAS DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS NORTHEAST IL  
EARLY THIS MORNING, WITHIN THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF AN EASTWARD-  
MOVING SHORT WAVE TROUGH AXIS. THIS HAD PRODUCED A LITTLE POCKET  
OF ISOLATED SHOWERS/SPRINKLES FROM SOME MID-LEVEL CLOUDS  
EARLIER IN THE NIGHT FROM RFD SOUTHEAST INTO THE  
WESTERN/SOUTHERN CHICAGO SUBURBS. GOES VAPOR IMAGERY DEPICTS  
STRONG DRYING SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA IN THE WAKE OF THE  
VORT HOWEVER, AND THESE SHOWERS HAVE FADED OVER THE PAST HOUR  
OR TWO.  
 
IN THE LOWER LEVELS, SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS THE  
FAR NORTHERN GREAT LAKES INTO EASTERN CANADA IS PRODUCING MODEST  
NORTH- NORTHEASTERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW DOWN LAKE MICHIGAN INTO  
EASTERN WI/NORTHEAST IL. ADVECTION OF UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S DEW  
POINTS OVER THE LAKE HAS RESULTED IN AN AREA OF LOW STRATUS AND  
FOG ALONG THE WESTERN LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE OVERNIGHT, WHICH HAS  
SPREAD INLAND ACROSS THE MILWAUKEE/RACINE AREAS AND OVER THE  
WATER OFF LAKE COUNTY IL. RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS OVER LAND AND  
DECREASING COVERAGE OF PATCHY MID-LEVEL CLOUD COVER MAY SUPPORT  
FURTHER STRATUS AND FOG DEVELOPMENT INTO PARTS OF NORTHEAST IL  
THROUGH SUNRISE, AND THUS HAVE ADDED AREAS OF FOG TO THE  
FORECAST GENERALLY NORTHEAST OF I-90 FOR EARLY THIS MORNING.  
VISIBILITIES ARE CURRENTLY AS LOW AS 1/4SM NORTH OF THE WI  
BORDER, SO WE'LL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON TRENDS FOR POTENTIAL  
NEED FOR AN ADVISORY. WHERE FOG DOES DEVELOP, VISIBILITIES  
SHOULD IMPROVE WITHIN A FEW HOURS AFTER SUNRISE.  
 
OTHERWISE, SUBSIDENCE WILL STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE AREA LATER  
THIS MORNING AS THE SHORT WAVE TROUGH CONTINUES TO PULL AWAY TO  
THE EAST, AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BOLDS INTO THE UPPER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND WESTERN LAKES REGION THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS  
SHOULD YIELD MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES BY MIDDAY/AFTERNOON, WITH  
TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE 80S AWAY FROM THE LAKE. LOW-LEVEL  
THERMAL FIELDS SUPPORT HIGHS FROM AROUND 80 IN OUR NORTHEASTERN  
COUNTIES, TO THE MID-80S FARTHER TO THE SOUTHWEST. ALONG THE  
LAKE, SYNOPTIC ONSHORE FLOW SHOULD KEEP READINGS TO THE LOW-MID  
70S. CAN'T RULE OUT SOME PATCHY FOG OR STRATUS REDEVELOPING  
TONIGHT ESPECIALLY ACROSS FAR NORTHERN IL WEST AND NORTH OF THE  
CORE OF THE METRO, AS TEMPS DIP INTO THE 50S AWAY FROM CHICAGO.  
 
WHILE SOME HIGH CLOUDS MAY SPILL OVER THE UPPER RIDGE INTO THE  
AREA FRIDAY, PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO  
SUPPORT STILL WARMER TEMPS AS LOW LEVEL FLOW TURNS MORE  
SOUTHERLY ONCE AGAIN. AN EAST-SOUTHEAST LAKE BREEZE WILL RESULT  
IN A SMALLER LAKE COOLING FOOTPRINT, ALLOWING AFTERNOON HIGHS TO  
RANGE FROM THE UPPER 70S ALONG THE IMMEDIATE IL SHORE TO THE  
MID-UPPER 80S INLAND. COULD EVEN SEE A 90 DEGREE HIGH ACROSS OUR  
WARMER WEST/SOUTHWEST CWA COUNTIES, HOWEVER RELATIVELY LOW DEW  
POINTS (50S) SHOULD KEEP HEAT INDICES ABOUT THE SAME AS OUR AIR  
TEMPS.  
 
RATZER  
 
FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY:  
 
A REX BLOCK OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND CENTRAL CANADA WILL  
TRANSITION INTO A MORE PROMINENT OMEGA BLOCK ACROSS CENTRAL  
NORTH AMERICA THIS WEEKEND BEFORE BREAKING DOWN AND SHIFTING  
EASTWARD EARLY TO MIDWEEK. AS A STRONG RIDGE DEVELOPS OVER THE  
CANADIAN PRAIRIE PROVINCES, A WEAK WAVE EMANATING FROM COLORADO  
TODAY IS PROGGED TO TRACK ACROSS THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS  
WITHIN A WEAKER SOUTHWARD EXTENSION OF THE RIDGE. THE WAVE WILL  
TRACK SOUTHEASTWARD OVER THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES AND BRUSH THE  
FORECAST AREA TO THE NORTHEAST LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY  
MORNING. MODEST MID-LEVEL ASCENT WITHIN A POCKET OF PACIFIC  
MOISTURE SHOULD YIELD AN AREA OF ELEVATED SHOWERS DURING THIS  
TIME. LAPSE RATES ABOVE AN ESTIMATED LPL OF 600-700 HPA WILL BE  
MARGINALLY FAVORABLE FOR EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL.  
COVERAGE THIS FAR SOUTHWEST DOES REMAIN LESS UNCLEAR, SO HAVE  
CONTINUED TO LIMIT PRECIP COVERAGE TO AREAS EAST OF A ROCKFORD  
TO RENSSELAER LINE.  
 
A COLD FRONT TRAILING FROM THE ABOVE SYSTEM WILL THEN DRIFT  
SOUTHWESTWARD AND POSSIBLY STALL ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA  
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. LOW-LEVEL WAA OVERRUNNING THE  
BACKDOOR FRONT BELOW A HIGHLY ELONGATED UPPER-LEVEL WAVE  
CROSSING THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT WOULD TYPICALLY BE A CONCERN  
FOR SLOW-MOVING OR BACKBUILDING CONVECTION DURING THE WARM  
SEASON. IN FACT, PROPAGATION VECTORS TURN DECIDEDLY NORTHEAST  
LATE SATURDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER, THE DEEPER PROFILE OVER THE REGION  
SUGGESTS THERE MAY BE INSUFFICIENT MOISTURE FOR INITIATION OF  
CONVECTION. WILL MAINTAIN A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS OVER  
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA SINCE EVEN MEAGER  
MOISTURE CAN STILL SUPPORT ISOLATED DEVELOPMENT.  
 
TEMPS THIS WEEKEND LOOK TO BE WARM, WITH HIGHS WELL INTO THE  
80S AND POSSIBLY SOME LOW 90S CLOSER TO THE LOW-LEVEL THERMAL  
RIDGE TO THE SOUTHWEST. THE TIMING OF THE BACKDOOR FRONT WILL  
DICTATE THE DEGREE OF WARMER CONDITIONS OVER AT LEAST NORTHEAST  
ILLINOIS ON SUNDAY, WITH THE LATEST SETUP FAVORING AN EARLY  
ARRIVAL OF THE FRONT AND MODESTLY COOLER CONDITIONS CLOSER TO  
THE LAKE.  
 
SOME INDICATIONS OF MODEST TROUGHING OVER THE NORTHERN GREAT  
PLAINS COULD BRING PERIODS OF DECAYING SHOWERS TOWARD THE AREA  
LATE MONDAY THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK, BUT CONSENSUS GUIDANCE  
MAINTAINS NO APPRECIABLE RAIN THROUGHOUT THE WEEK AMID  
SEASONABLY WARM CONDITIONS.  
 
KLUBER  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1231 AM CDT THU SEP 11 2025  
 
WHILE VFR CONDITIONS ARE FAVORED THROUGH THE PERIOD, DEVELOPING  
SHALLOW FOG AND/OR LIFR STRATUS IN AND AROUND THE MILWAUKEE  
AREA WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED FOR A SSW EXPANSION INTO  
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS TOWARD DAYBREAK. LOWER DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS  
AND SEVERAL PATCHES OF CLEARING OF MID-LEVEL CLOUDS ARE LIKELY  
TO SUPPORT AT LEAST SOME BR AT DPA AND ORD, WITH A <30% CHANCE  
FOR THE STRATUS TO REACH BOTH AIRFIELDS. HAVE INCLUDED TEMPO VFR  
BR AT ORD AND MVFR BR AT DPA WHILE ALSO INCLUDING A MENTION OF  
IFR CLOUDS FOR A COUPLE HOURS ON EITHER SIDE OF SUNRISE. THERE  
IS ALSO A LOWER CHANCE THAT THE SIMILAR SETUP REPEATS LATE  
TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING, BUT CONFIDENCE REMAINS TOO LOW TO  
INCLUDE IN THE TAF THIS FAR OUT.  
 
OTHERWISE, WINDS WILL REMAIN GENERALLY NE 5-10 KNOTS THROUGH  
TONIGHT, WITH A LAKE-ENHANCED INCREASE TO 10-15 KNOTS DURING THE  
AFTERNOON.  
 
KLUBER  
 
 
   
LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
IL...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
LM...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
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