textproduct: Central Illinois

KEY MESSAGES

* Lingering morning showers south of I-70 will taper off by midday as cooler, drier air filters into the region behind a cold front.

* A benign fall pattern brings dry conditions, light winds, and pleasant temperatures through the weekend and into next week.

LONG TERM

(Sunday through Next Thursday) An upper-level shortwave trough traversing the Canadian Prairies will track a weak surface low well to our north on Sunday. Model guidance remains in good agreement keeping any precipitation well north of the local forecast area, generally along and north of the Illinois/Wisconsin state line. Warm air advection ahead of this system will bring a brief uptick in temperatures on Sunday, boosting afternoon highs into the mid- to-upper 70s.

In the wake of the low, another expansive surface high overspreads the Midwest by early Monday before settling along the Mid-Atlantic coast by midweek. Highs Monday and Tuesday will remain near to slightly below normal in the upper 60s and lower 70s with lows consistently in the 40s. By Wednesday and Thursday, return southwesterly flow around the backside of the departing ridge will initiate a more sustained warming trend across the region. Afternoon highs are expected to reach the upper 70s to low 80s through the latter half of next week with persistent dry conditions expected.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 530 AM CDT Fri Oct 2 2026

A cold front has pushed southeast of Illinois early this morning, leaving a north/northeast breeze in its wake. Some gusts of 18-20 kts will be possible from mid morning through the afternoon. Low ceilings have recently scattered out at PIA and will gradually scatter out from the northwest through the morning, with VFR conditions prevailing from around mid to late morning through the remainder of the period.

ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.