textproduct: Central Illinois

KEY MESSAGES

- An Enhanced Risk (level 3 of 5) for severe weather exists along and northeast of the I-74 corridor late Thursday afternoon and evening. Damaging wind gusts in excess of 70mph, hail greater than 2 inches in diameter, and tornadoes are possible.

- Large temperature swings are in store for the remainder of the week. Readings will soar to record warm levels in the middle to upper 80s on Thursday...then will plunge into the middle to upper 20s by early Saturday morning.

..Plunging Temperatures by the End of the Week

Once the Thursday night cold front drops south of Illinois, a sharply colder airmass will arrive by the end of the week. GFS/ECMWF are showing 850mb temperatures dropping from 18-20C Thursday afternoon to around -5C by Friday night. As high pressure builds into the region and gusty northwesterly winds subside, radiational cooling will allow temperatures to drop below freezing by early Saturday morning. The 12z NBM suggests a high probability (60-80% chance) of lows colder than 30 degrees across the entire KILX CWA and a 30-40% chance of readings dipping below 25 degrees north of I-72. This may pose a risk to any sensitive plants that may be emerging a couple weeks earlier than usual this spring.

AVIATION

(For the 00z TAFs through 00z Thursday Evening) Issued at 608 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

A warm front will shift east across central IL this evening. Initially the airmass is fairly dry, leading to scattered SHRA and a few TSRA over the next few hours. Have a PROB30 group for TSRA to handle this at all sites except KCMI. At KCMI better coverage of storms is shown by short range guidance, so included a TEMPO group for a few hours there late this evening. S-SSW winds will be sustained at 10-12 kt overnight, then increase by late morning, gusting near 25 kt. A cold front will begin to work in from the north toward 00z/Thu, so included winds veering W-WNW at KPIA-KBMI late afternoon ahead of the front. Scattered TSRA are expected near and behind the cold front, and mentioned a PROB30 at KPIA after 23z.

25

CLIMATE

Issued at 125 AM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

Forecast temperatures on Thursday may exceed March records in some areas.

Mar 26 Record March Record Charleston.... 84 (1907) 89 (3/24/1929 and 3/22/2026) Decatur....... 83 (1907) 89 (3/24/1929) Jacksonville.. 83 (1950) 91 (3/21/1907) Lincoln....... 83 (1991) 86 (3/29/1985 and 3/30/1986) Normal........ 83 (2007) 88 (3/21/1907) Olney......... 85 (1907) 89 (3/24/1910 and 3/24/1929) Peoria........ 82 (1907/1991) 87 (3/21/1907) Springfield... 81 (1991) 91 (3/21/1907) Urbana........ 81 (1907) 85 (3/21/1907 and 3/24/1910)

ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.