579  
FXUS63 KLOT 040826  
AFDLOT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL  
326 AM CDT SAT OCT 4 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- JULY-LIKE WARMTH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY.  
 
- STRONGER WINDS AND CONTINUED DRY CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN  
HEIGHTENED FIRE DANGER AND AREAS OF BLOWING DUST SUNDAY  
AFTERNOON.  
 
- COLD FRONT WILL BRING RAIN CHANCE MONDAY AND ESPECIALLY MONDAY  
NIGHT, FOLLOWED BY MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURE FOR THE REST OF  
THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 326 AM CDT SAT OCT 4 2025  
 
ANOTHER UNSEASONABLY WARM DAY IS ON TAP FOR TODAY. OVER THE PAST  
24 HOURS, GUIDANCE HAS TRENDED ABOUT 1C WARMER WITH 925MB TEMPS,  
NOW PROGGED TO BE PRETTY CLOSE TO WHERE THEY WERE FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON. HIGH TEMPS TODAY WILL PROBABLY BE CLOSE TO OR MAYBE A  
DEGREE OR SO LESS THAN FRIDAY, BUT STILL IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S  
AREA WIDE WITH A FEW ISOLATED 90 DEGREE READINGS POSSIBLE.  
 
REMNANT SHEAR/DEFORMATION AXIS THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING'S CONVECTION LINGERS ACROSS CENTRAL IL EARLY  
THIS MORNING. BACKGROUND MID-LEVEL FLOW WILL BECOME MORE  
SOUTHERLY TODAY AND SHOULD ADVECT THIS WEAKENING SHEAR AXIS  
NORTH INTO NORTHEASTERN IL AND NORTHWEST IN TODAY. ALMOST ALL  
AVAILABLE GUIDANCE IS DRY TODAY, HOWEVER THE NSSL WRF AND ARW  
BOTH ARE CONVECTING THIS AFTERNOON OVER NE IL/NW IN. BOTH OF  
THESE MODELS ARE LIKELY TOO HIGH WITH SFC TDS AND RESULTANT  
INSTABILITY, SO OPTED TO KEEP THE FORECAST DRY TODAY. HOWEVER,  
BOTH OF THESE MODELS PERFORMED WELL WITH FRIDAY'S ISOLATED  
CONVECTION DOWNSTATE, SO AS A NOD TO THEM, I DID ADD SOME 10-14%  
POPS WITH NO FORMAL MENTION OF RAIN OVER EASTERN HALF OF THE  
CWA THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
SUNDAY WILL BE ANOTHER UNSEASONABLY WARM DAY, WITH A TIGHTENING  
PRESSURE GRADIENT ALSO LEADING TO STRONGER WINDS, PARTICULARLY  
OVER WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA. GIVEN THE EXPECTED SUNNY SKIES  
AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS, BOUNDARY LAYER SHOULD BECOME DEEPLY  
MIXED AND QUITE EFFICIENT AT TRANSPORTING DOWN SOME STRONGER  
GUSTS FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. COULD SEE  
A COUPLE HOURS WITH PEAK GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH, ESPECIALLY  
WESTERN/NORTHWESTERN HALF OF THE CWA. GIVEN THE VERY DRY  
CONDITIONS AND INCREASED FARMING ACTIVITY, THE GUSTY WINDS  
TOMORROW WILL PROBABLY RESULT IN SOME AREAS OF BLOWING DUST IN  
OPEN AREAS. NOT ANTICIPATING A BIG ENOUGH PROBLEM TO REQUIRE A  
BLOWING DUST ADVISORY, BUT WILL PROBABLY MENTION THE BLOWING  
DUST IN THE SPS THAT WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY OR  
TONIGHT FOR FIRE WX CONCERNS. MORE ON THAT IN THE FIRE WX  
SECTION BELOW.  
 
UPPER TROUGH WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EASTWARD INTO THE UPPER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND WESTERN GREAT LAKES MONDAY WITH  
ASSOCIATED SFC COLD FRONT GRADUALLY SAGGING SOUTHWARD INTO FAR  
NORTHERN IL MONDAY AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE FRONT, IT WILL BE  
ANOTHER WARM DAY WITH A GOOD DEAL OF SUNSHINE, SO HIGHS SHOULD  
ONCE AGAIN CLIMB INTO THE 80S.  
 
ANAFRONTAL NATURE OF THE COLD FRONT SHOULD RESULT IN MOST OF THE  
PRECIPITATION OCCURRING BEHIND THE FRONT MONDAY NIGHT AND  
PROBABLY LINGERING INTO TUESDAY MORNING. GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO  
DEPICT A PRETTY FAVORABLE SET-UP FOR RAIN AND POSSIBLY EVEN A  
COUPLE OF EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WITH A POST-FRONTAL AXIS OF  
RAIN MONDAY NIGHT. THERE IS STRONG AGREEMENT THAT OUR AREA WILL  
END UP IN THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF 100KT+ UPPER LEVEL JET  
WITH SOME MODELS SUGGESTING SOME COUPLING WITH THE LEFT EXIT  
REGION OF A WEAKER SOUTHERN STREAM JET STREAK, WHICH COULD  
FURTHER ENHANCE ASCENT.  
 
IN ADDITION TO THE STRONG SYNOPTIC ASCENT, THE THERMALLY DIRECT  
CIRCULATION IN THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE UPPER LEVEL JET  
WILL AID IN STRENGTHENING LOW-MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS. THIS  
COULD RESULT IN SOME MESOSCALE ENHANCEMENT TO THE PRECIPITATION  
RATES, WHICH GIVEN PWATS PROGGED TO BE NEAR OR ABOVE 200% OF  
NORMAL (AROUND 1.50"), DOES CERTAINLY OPEN THE DOOR TO THE  
POTENTIAL FOR SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MONDAY NIGHT. DROUGHT  
BEGETS MORE DROUGHT, SO FAR TOO EARLY TO LOCK IN ANY KIND OF  
SOLUTION THAT POINTS TOWARD HEAVY RAINFALL PUTTING A DENT IN THE  
DEVELOPING DROUGHT, BUT MONDAY NIGHT'S SET-UP DOES BEAR SOME  
WATCHING.  
 
COOLER, MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY  
THOUGHT MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. AFTER RAIN ENDS  
TUESDAY, DRY WEATHER WILL RESUME FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE  
WEEK. THE GENERAL IDEA OF A TROUGH-RIDGE-TROUGH LONGWAVE  
PATTERN ACROSS THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT LATE NEXT WEEK INTO  
NEXT WEEKEND CONTINUES TO GARNER SUPPORT AMONG THE VARIOUS  
MEDIUM RANGE ENSEMBLE SUITES, BUT THERE ARE NOTABLE DIFFERENCES  
IN THE LONGITUDE OF WHERE THESE LONGWAVES WILL SET UP, RESULTING  
IN CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY LOCALLY. A MORE EASTWARD  
POSITIONING OF THE RIDGE (EPS) COULD SET THE STAGE FOR A RETURN  
TO ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPS, WHILE A FARTHER WEST RIDGE (GEFS) WOULD  
KEEP TEMPS COOLER (CLOSER TO NORMAL). GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTIES,  
NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO NBM OUT FOR LATER IN THE WEEK AND NEXT  
WEEKEND.  
 
- IZZI  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1210 AM CDT SAT OCT 4 2025  
 
VFR WITH NO SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 
LIGHT SOUTHERLY WINDS EARLY THIS MORNING WILL INCREASE TO AROUND  
10 KT FROM THE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST (190-220 DEG) BY THE MID MORNING  
AND THEN GUST TO NEAR/AROUND 20 KT THIS AFTERNOON. THE WIND  
DIRECTION WILL RETURN TO SOUTHERLY AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER  
SUNSET AS SPEEDS DIMINISH. WITH STRENGTHENING FLOW NOT FAR ABOVE  
THE SURFACE OVERNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT, CAN'T RULE OUT SPORADIC  
15-20 KT GUSTS AT THE CHICAGO TERMINALS.  
 
CASTRO  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
 
ISSUED AT 326 AM CDT SAT OCT 4 2025  
 
VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN THINKING REGARDING POTENTIAL FIRE WEATHER  
CONCERNS THIS WEEKEND. WINDS WILL PICK UP A BIT TODAY WITH SOME  
GUSTS TO AROUND 20 MPH, ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE FOX RIVER VALLEY.  
MIN RH VALUES ARE ONE AGAIN EXPECTED TO BOTTOM OUT MOSTLY IN THE  
30-35% RANGE.  
 
OF GREATER CONCERN CONTINUES TO BE SUNDAY. STRONGER WINDS ARE  
EXPECTED SUNDAY, AGAIN FAVORING AREAS WEST OF THE FOX RIVER VALLEY  
THE MOST. IN ADDITION TO THE STRONGER WINDS, IT CONTINUES TO LOOK  
FAVORABLE FOR DEWPOINTS TO MIX OUT SUNDAY AFTERNOON, RESULTING IN  
MIN AFTERNOON RH VALUES BETWEEN 20 AND 30 PERCENT. THERE REMAINS  
SIGNIFICANT SPREAD IN MODEL GUIDANCE WITH REGARDS TO MIN RH VALUES  
SUNDAY, WITH SOME GUIDANCE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN OUR  
FORECAST, AND A COUPLE OF MODELS A BIT LOWER. HAVE CONTINUED TO  
LEAN TOWARD THE LOWER END OF THE GUIDANCE SPECTRUM GIVEN THE  
WORSENING SHORT TERM DROUGHT AND EXPECTATION FOR DEEP MIXING.  
 
THERE HAS BEEN A SUBTLE TREND TOWARD SLIGHTLY HIGHER WINDS AND  
SLIGHTLY LOWER RH, BUT STILL APPEARS WINDS WILL REMAIN SOLIDLY  
BELOW THE RED FLAG WARNING CRITERIA OF 20 MPH SUSTAINED 20 FT  
WINDS (ROUGHLY 23 MPH SUSTAINED 10M WINDS).  
 
WE WILL LIKELY END UP ISSUING A SPS FOR HEIGHTENED FIRE WEATHER  
CONCERNS LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT.  
 
- IZZI  
 
 
   
CLIMATE  
 
ISSUED AT 821 PM CDT FRI OCT 3 2025  
 
HIGH TEMPERATURES MAY APPROACH RECORD HIGHS THIS WEEKEND. HERE ARE  
THE CURRENT RECORDS FOR OCTOBER 4TH AND 5TH:  
 
SATURDAY SUNDAY  
CHICAGO 90 (1951) 88 (1997)  
ROCKFORD 90 (1922) 90 (1922)  
 
- IZZI/RATZER  
 
 
   
LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
IL...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
LM...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
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