847  
FXUS63 KLOT 172054  
AFDLOT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL  
254 PM CST MON NOV 17 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- RAIN AND DRIZZLE EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY.  
 
- ANOTHER PERIOD OF RAIN POSSIBLE TOWARDS LATE WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 254 PM CST MON NOV 17 2025  
 
THROUGH TUESDAY:  
 
A SURFACE HIGH CONTINUES TO SLOWLY MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA  
THIS AFTERNOON AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH EJECTS INTO THE CENTRAL  
PLAINS. THIS SHORTWAVE WILL PIVOT INTO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY  
LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING AND THEN ACROSS NORTHERN IL  
AND NORTHWEST IN TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT, THE DEVELOPING  
RAIN SHOWERS IN IA AND MO WILL LIFT INTO OUR AREA AROUND  
MIDNIGHT AND PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING AS THE SYSTEM MOVES  
THROUGH. GIVEN THAT FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW THE ENVIRONMENT TO  
BE LARGELY ABOVE FREEZING, EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO REMAIN AS  
RAIN THROUGH ITS DURATION BUT THERE WILL BE SOME MODEST  
INSTABILITY ALOFT WHICH MAY SUPPORT SOME INSTANCES OF GRAUPEL AS  
RAIN BEGINS. ADDITIONALLY, A STRAY LIGHTNING STRIKE CANNOT BE  
RULED OUT EITHER THOUGH THE BEST CHANCE FOR SUCH WILL LIKELY  
STAY IN CENTRAL IL CLOSER TO THE SURFACE LOW.  
 
WHILE THE BROADER RAIN WILL GRADUALLY TAPER THROUGH TUESDAY  
MORNING AS THE MID-LEVEL DRY SLOT MOVES OVERHEAD, SOME LINGERING  
LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE IN THE PRESENCE OF SOME MODEST ASCENT SHOULD  
ALLOW SOME OCCASIONAL LIGHT SHOWERS AND DRIZZLE TO PERSIST  
THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE, EXPECT CLOUD SKIES AND  
EASTERLY WINDS AROUND 10-15 MPH. TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY WILL BE  
A BIT COOLER THAN TODAY WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID-40S  
AREAWIDE.  
 
TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY:  
 
THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL EJECT TO THE EAST  
TUESDAY EVENING AS MID-LEVEL HEIGHT RISES MOVE INTO THE GREAT  
LAKES. THE HEIGHT RISES SHOULD CUT OFF THE ASCENT AND ALLOW THE  
LIGHT SHOWERS/DRIZZLE TO TAPER BY MID-EVENING. WHILE DRY  
CONDITIONS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF  
THE WEEK, A PLUME OF LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE IS FORECAST TO GET  
TRAPPED BENEATH THE SUBSIDENCE INVERSION. AS A RESULT A  
PREVAILING STRATUS DECK IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND POSSIBLY THROUGH THE DAY ON THURSDAY. WITH  
THE LOWER SUN ANGLE AND CLOUD COVER, TEMPERATURES BETWEEN  
TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY LIKELY WON'T VARY MUCH (MAYBE 5- 8  
DEGREES OR SO) WITH HIGHS CURRENTLY FORECAST TO BE IN THE  
MID-40S AT BEST. DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY THE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE  
ERODES ON THURSDAY WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THURSDAY IS ANOTHER  
COOL AND GLOOMY DAY OR IF TEMPERATURES ARE ABLE TO REBOUND INTO  
THE 50S. FOR NOW THE OFFICIAL FORECAST HAS LEANED TOWARDS THE  
CLOUDS SCATTERING AND A WARMER SOLUTION, BUT THIS COULD CHANGE  
AS WE GET CLOSER SO DON'T BE SURPRISED IF TEMPERATURES VERIFY  
SEVERAL DEGREES COOLER FOR THURSDAY.  
 
HEADING INTO THE LATER HALF OF THE WEEK, OUR ATTENTION TURNS  
TOWARDS THE EVOLUTION OF THE UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED BROAD  
TROUGH THAT IS JUST OFFSHORE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS OF THIS  
WRITING. THIS TROUGH/LOW IS FORECAST TO SLOWLY MEANDER INTO THE  
SOUTHWEST CONUS THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND POSSIBLY ATTEMPT TO PHASE  
WITH ANOTHER TROUGH THAT WILL BE DIVING OUT OF THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST ON THURSDAY. AS THIS FEATURE BEGINS TO EJECT INTO THE  
SOUTHERN PLAINS ON THURSDAY, ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS PROGGED  
TO PIVOT ACROSS THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. IT IS DURING THIS  
THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY TIMEFRAME THAT THE FORECAST BECOMES VERY  
UNCERTAIN. THE REASON IS BECAUSE IF THE SOUTHERN TROUGH MOVES  
QUICK ENOUGH IT MAY LIMIT THE OVERALL MOISTURE RETURN INTO  
NORTHERN IL AND NORTHWEST IN AND THUS KEEP THE BULK OF ANY  
ASSOCIATED PRECIPITATION TO THE SOUTH OF OUR AREA IN THE OHIO  
AND TENNESSEE RIVER VALLEYS. HOWEVER, IF THE TROUGH IS SLOWER  
THEN SUFFICIENT MOISTURE MAY BE ABLE TO RETURN AHEAD OF THIS  
SYSTEM AND THE NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH AND ALLOW PRECIPITATION TO  
RETURN TO THE AREA AS EARLY AS THURSDAY. THOUGH, ANY  
PRECIPITATION AT THIS POINT LOOKS TO FALL MAINLY AS RAIN DUE TO  
TEMPERATURES GENERALLY ABOVE FREEZING.  
 
AT THIS POINT ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE IS SPLIT ON WHICH OF THESE  
AFOREMENTIONED SCENARIOS WILL COME TO FRUITION AND THUS WHETHER  
OR NOT WE SEE ANY RAIN THURSDAY AND/OR FRIDAY IS VERY UNCERTAIN.  
THAT SAID, IT SEEMS THE GENERAL TREND IS FOR RAIN TO STAY MORE  
TO OUR SOUTH WHICH IS WHY THE NBM POPS HAVE ONCE AGAIN TRENDED  
DOWNWARD. FOR NOW HAVE OPTED TO MAINTAIN THE 20-50% POPS OFFERED  
BY THE NBM FOR LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY IN CASE THE WETTER  
SOLUTION PANS OUT BUT SUSPECT IF THE DRIER TREND CONTINUES WE  
MAY BE ABLE TO CUT POPS ALL TOGETHER IN THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS.  
REGARDLESS OF HOW THIS PERIOD PANS OUT, TEMPERATURES LOOK TO  
REMAIN SEASONABLE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH HIGHS IN THE 40S TO  
LOWER 50S WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 30S. ON THAT NOTE THE  
WEEKEND DOES LOOK DRY WITH HIGH PRESSURE FORECAST TO MOVE BACK  
INTO THE AREA.  
 
YACK  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1136 AM CST MON NOV 17 2025  
 
THE PRIMARY AVIATION CONCERNS ARE AS FOLLOWS:  
 
* PERIODS OF SHOWERS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW MORNING, TURNING INTO  
DRIZZLE  
 
* GRADUALLY LOWERING CIGS FROM VFR TO MVFR AND EVENTUALLY IFR  
 
* POTENTIAL FOR LONG-DURATION LOW STRATUS EVENT CONTINUING WELL  
BEYOND THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD  
 
DISCUSSION:  
 
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EARLY  
AFTERNOON HOURS THANKS TO THE PASSAGE OF A SURFACE RIDGE AXIS.  
DIRECTIONS SHOULD TREND EASTERLY BY EARLY-EVENING OWING TO LAKE  
INFLUENCE, BEFORE INCREASING IN MAGNITUDE TOWARD 10KT THROUGH  
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. AN EASTERLY WIND DIRECTION WILL THEN  
PREVAIL THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD.  
 
SHOWERS ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP FROM FAR SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH  
DAKOTA SOUTHEASTWARD INTO MISSOURI WITHIN A STRENGTHENING  
REGION OF BROAD LOW-LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION INDUCED BY AN  
UPPER-LEVEL WAVE ENTERING WESTERN NEBRASKA. SHOWER COVERAGE WILL  
INCREASE MARKEDLY THIS EVENING AND SPREAD EASTWARD, REACHING  
THE TERMINALS IN THE 06-08Z TIMEFRAME. CIGS SHOULD REMAIN VFR  
THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OWING TO TOP-DOWN SATURATION  
PROCESSES ERODING A LOW-LEVEL DRY LAYER. VISBYS SHOULD REMAIN  
MORE OR LESS BETWEEN 4 AND 6 MILES IN SHOWERS OVERNIGHT.  
 
AFTER DAYBREAK, SHOWERS SHOULD GRADUALLY TRANSITION TO DRIZZLE  
AS A LOW-LEVEL INVERSION STRENGTHENS ACROSS THE REGION. CIGS  
SHOULD LOWER INTO MVFR AND IFR AS THE TRANSITION TO DRIZZLE  
OCCURS. VISIBILITY MAY DROP AS LOW AS 2-3 MILES WHERE DRIZZLE  
CELLS ARE MOST PREVALENT, PERHAPS BETWEEN 18-00Z (LAST 6 HOURS  
OF THE 30-HOUR TAF WINDOW AT ORD/MDW) TIED TO WHEN THE UPPER-  
LEVEL WAVE SLIDES DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. FOR NOW, WILL ADVERTISE 6SM  
RADZ IN FAVOR OF DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTS IN VISIBILITY AS MODEL  
AND OBSERVATIONAL TRENDS ALLOW.  
 
FINALLY, THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR IFR TO MVFR STRATUS TO LINGER  
WELL BEYOND THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD AS LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE GETS  
TRAPPED BENEATH THE STRONG INVERSION.  
 
BORCHARDT  
 
 
   
LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
IL...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TUESDAY TO 3 AM CST WEDNESDAY  
FOR THE IL NEARSHORE WATERS.  
 
 
 
 
 
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