textproduct: Central Illinois

KEY MESSAGES

- Well above normal temperatures persist through Friday, with highs climbing to the mid 70s to around 80 degrees, around 15 degrees above normal.

- Scattered light showers are possible Thursday into the weekend along a weak frontal boundary, but rain amounts will be light and localized.

- A pronounced pattern shift this weekend through early next week brings high confidence in more widespread rainfall and cooler temperatures. There is a 50-60% chance areawide for over 1 inch of rain to fall in the next 7 days.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 247 AM CDT Wed Oct 28 2026

The next shortwave will cause a weak cold front to dip down into central IL on Thursday, then retreat back north as a warm front Friday. There could be some sprinkles or light rain across the northern part of the forecast area Thursday afternoon. Precip chances are greatest Friday with the warm front, near and north of I- 72 (40-70% chance). More rain chances remain in the forecast through the weekend. Whatever light rain manages to fall between now and Sunday will do little to alleviate the ongoing dry stretch.

The start of November will usher in a significant pattern change. A much stronger low pressure system is shown to move through early next week. This system will bring the greatest chances for showers and thunderstorms to the area within the next week. The NBM has a widespread 50-70% chance across central and southeastern IL focused on Monday evening into Tuesday evening. Anomalous PWATs for November are forecast for this system's passage, values 1.5-1.8 inches on various models. The LREF shows a 50-60% chance areawide for over 1 inch of rain to fall in the next 7 days.

Temperatures will continue to be above normal for the next few days, then will trend slightly cooler starting Saturday into next week. "Cooler" in this sense means temperatures will be in the upper 60s to low 70s for highs, which is still above normal. The CPC's 6-10 day, 8-14 day, and Week 3-4 outlooks are all continuing to show above normal temperatures. The additional cloud cover and increased rain chances this weekend into next week may inhibit the temperatures from getting too warm, potentially being cooler than what is in the forecast now.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 554 AM CDT Wed Oct 28 2026

Occasional mid-level clouds will be present at times, but otherwise VFR conditions are expected through the period. South winds will increase some during the day with speeds peaking around 10-12 kts.

ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.