textproduct: Central Illinois

KEY MESSAGES

- Temperatures fluctuate through the weekend. Well above normal temperatures are forecast for next week. There is a 50-70% chance of temperatures exceeding 65 degrees on Christmas Day south of I-72.

- Mainly dry forecast through the extended but there are a few weak disturbances that look to move through that could produce a few sprinkles or flakes through the next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 131 PM CST Fri Dec 19 2025

A wild ride of daytime temperatures is on tap for the weekend. Overnight temperatures from tonight through Monday morning will be in the 20s. Today is chilly with highs in the upper 20s to mid 30s. Winds will shift out of the southwest tonight from a high pressure to our southeast, warming daytime temperatures into the mid 40s to low 50s for Saturday. A dry cold front is expected to pass through tomorrow evening, which will pull more cold air south. Sunday's high will only be in the low 30s to low 40s. Overnight Sunday, a high pressure system will develop off to our east, shifting the winds out of the southeast. This will begin our great warm up for the Christmas holiday. By mid week, temperatures during the day will be in the mid 50s to mid 60s. There is a 50-70% chance of temperatures exceeding 65 degrees on Christmas Day, from the LREF and NBM, south of I-72.

Mainly the forecast is dry, but there are a few weak disturbances that look to move through that could produce a few sprinkles or flakes here and there through the next week. There looks to be a cold front that moves through Christmas night into the morning of the 26th, but is looking dry as of today's models. That is still a week out and we (forecasters) tend to get a bit skeptical when temperatures get into the mid to upper 60s with dewpoints nearing 60 degrees in December. We will continue to monitor trends the next week. As of this moment, Christmas looks to be a lovely, dry, warm day.

Copple

AVIATION

(For the 06z TAFs through 06z Saturday Night) Issued at 1050 PM CST Fri Dec 19 2025

A cold front will move across central Illinois Saturday. Ahead of the front, breezy southerly winds will prevail overnight into Saturday morning with gusts to around 20 kt. Winds aloft at 020 will increase to around 50 kt resulting in LLWS overnight. Winds will veer to the west then northwest with passage of the front. No precip will occur with frontal passage with only mid and high clouds expected. VFR conditions will prevail through the period.

Deubelbeiss

ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.