Forecast discussion
What forecasters are seeing
Plain-English forecast narrative from the local NWS office. Issued by NWS LOT.
842
FXUS63 KLOT 100742
AFDLOT
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, IL
242 AM CDT Wed Jun 10 2026
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Today and Thursday will be hot and humid with multiple rounds
of severe storms.
- Thursday continues to look like the day of greatest concern
for severe weather with a threat for all hazards (tornadoes,
damaging hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding)
- Friday and Saturday will be dry and noticeably cooler. A
generally cool and at times wet pattern will develop next
week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 242 AM CDT Wed Jun 10 2026
Today and Tonight:
Early morning GOES-19 water vapor imagery depicts aggregate
upper-level troughing centered over the northern Rocky Mountain
region. There are several upper-level shortwaves embedded
within the expansive cyclonic flow, including one currently
supporting a squall line moving across western Minnesota and
another in the central Plains. Meanwhile, an elevated warm
frontal zone is lifting northeastward across southern Wisconsin,
northern Illinois, and northeastern Indiana this morning as
identified by a zone of persistent ACCAS visible on GOES-19
nighttime microphysics imagery RGB imagery. So far, there have
only been a few attempts for convection to initiate within the
warm frontal zone this morning. At this point, am cautiously
optimistic we are out of the woods for an isolated severe storm
(call it a remaining 10% chance). Finally, a region of marine
fog is stalled across portions of Lake and far northeastern Cook
county this morning. The lowest visibility (one quarter of a
mile) remains confined roughly near and east of I-94, and will
continue to handle the locally reduced visibility with a Special
Weather Statement through 5:30 this morning.
The stage is set for a hot and stormy day. After daybreak, the
elevated warm frontal zone will shift northeast of our area.
Warm overnight lows (current temperatures are largely in the low
to mid 70s) will act as a springboard for temperatures to race
into the mid to upper 80s by late morning. When combined with
dew points in the low to mid 70s, heat index values are expected
to reach 95 to 100 degrees by noon. Focus then turns to the
potential two windows for severe weather today.
The first window will be in the afternoon (1 to 6 PM) as the
aforementioned upper-level shortwave currently in the central
Plains races into the Lower Great Lakes. Ahead of the wave, the
overlap of steep mid-level lapse rates (sampled near 8 K/km per
the 00Z DVN RAOB), moist low-to mid-levels (mean 1km mixing
ratios of nearly 17 g/kg and PWATs near 2 inches sampled by the
same 00Z DVN RAOB), and warming boundary layer temperatures into
the upper 80s will lead to the development of appreciable
instability characterized by MLCAPE >3000 J/kg. While deep-layer
shear will be lower than typical for severe weather days with
the first wave (effective and cloud-layer shear in the
neighborhood of 30-35kt), the strong instability and deep
moisture profiles will quickly encourage initial cellular
development in eastern Iowa to merge into one or more outflow-
dominant clusters with a threat for damaging to locally
destructive winds (60 to 80 mph). The highest coverage is
favored to be along and north of I-80 tied to the core of the
wave, though at least scattered coverage may occur as far south
as the US-24 corridor.
The second window for severe storms today will be in the
evening hours (6 to 10 PM) as a secondary upper-level shortwave
races into the Midwest. While the core of the upper-level wave
will track decidedly northwest of our area, increasing
isentropic ascent atop what would probably be an outflow-
reinforced warm front draped across eastern Iowa and northern
Illinois would nevertheless support renewed thunderstorm
development. Now, the intensity of renewed development including
any potential for severe weather is unclear, as the highest
coverage of storms may end up north of the outflow-reinforced
warm front. With that said, any storms that develop near and
south of the front would be capable of producing damaging winds.
Suppose there could be a conditional threat for QLCS tornadoes
should any bowing segment develop and intersect the outflow-
reinforced warm front, as well. Coverage of storms should
decrease from northwest to southeast during the evening hours.
At this point, the expectation is for combined cold
pool/outflow pushes from the two rounds of storms to temporarily
push the warm front south of our area by midnight. Assuming
this occurs, any threat for festering convection driven by the
low-level jet riding atop the frontal boundary should be south
of our area across central Illinois giving our local area a
break.
Thursday:
Thursday continues to look like a day of greater concern for
severe weather. Ensemble model guidance remains steadfast that
the most dominant shortwave embedded in the aggregate cyclonic
flow in the northern US will pivot northeastward into the Great
Lakes on Thursday. Surface pressure falls west of the
Mississippi River ahead of the wave will consolidate into a
coherent surface low in central Iowa, leading to rapidly
increasing low-level southwesterly flow across the middle
Mississippi River Valley. As a result, the expectation is for
the warm front to rapidly retreat northward into eastern Iowa,
northern Illinois, and possibly southern Wisconsin by midday
Thursday. (Accordingly, Thursday will be another hot and humid
day for much of our area with peak heat index values in the
upper 90s to around 100).
Like today, there may be two rounds of severe weather tomorrow.
Curiously, CAM guidance continues to depict the development of
thunderstorms across Nebraska and Iowa late tonight potentially
tied to mid-level gravity waves emanating from unbalanced
upper-level flow. (The HRRR in particular does depict GWAC
supercells in central Iowa by daybreak). At this point, current
thinking is morning activity would be poised to lift
northeastward toward northeastern Iowa, northwestern Illinois,
and southern Wisconsin (more specifically, northwest of a line
from Dixon to Crystal Lake) in the 11 am to 2 PM timeframe.
Even while any early-day convection would probably remain north
of the warm front, strengthening upper-level shear ahead of the
approaching short wave and steep mid-level lapse rates would
still support a threat for damaging hail up to 2 inches in
diameter. If the storms do end up tied to gravity waves, would
have to watch for corridors of destructive winds (70+ mph) as
well. Will note that sometimes these morning rounds of storms in
these kinds of patterns can end up somewhat unexpectedly
impactful given so much attention on the afternoon period.
Speaking of which...
The second window for severe weather will be during the
afternoon and evening hours (3 to 9 PM) as the upper-level
shortwave ejects into the Great Lakes. An ensemble of CAM
guidance is in agreement that the associated surface low will
deepen toward the lower 990s mb range while lifting
northeastward into central Wisconsin Thursday afternoon.
Thunderstorm development is favored both along the northward-
moving warm front and along the eastward-moving cold front by
late afternoon.
With MLCAPE >2500 J/kg and effective shear >50kt, the
environment within the warm sector of the cyclone will be very
supportive of severe weather. At this point, the expectation is
for initial supercell development along both frontal zones with
a threat for all hazards (tornadoes, damaging winds, damaging
hail) with eventual upscale growth into a southeastward-racing
squall line. Of particular concern is the rapid increase in low-
level flow on the southeastern flank of the surface low during
the evening hours, which will lead to 30 to 40 kt of 0-1km shear
and over 300 J/kg of SRH for eastward-moving storms especially
along the warm front in northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin.
Accordingly, should supercell storm modes be maintained along
the warm front, there will be a threat for strong (EF-2+)
tornadoes. Thunderstorm coverage is expected to end from
northwest to southeast across the area as the evening
progresses.
Not to be forgotten, the potential for up to four rounds of
severe thunderstorms within a high-PWAT airmass in the next 48
hours raises concern for flash flooding. The rounds of
thunderstorms today will likely "prime the pump" for a more
noteworthy flash flood threat tomorrow, especially considering
storms today should be more progressive and storms tomorrow may
have a better opportunity to train along the warm frontal zone.
Indeed, the 00Z 48-hr PMM QPF depicts a wide swath of 3 to
locally 7 inches of rain centered on eastern Iowa, southern
Wisconsin, and northern Illinois. Meanwhile, combined 24-hour
LPMM QPF from the experimental REFS (no 48-hour PMM available)
depicts potential for pockets of up to 8 inches of rainfall
through Thursday evening. Did consider hoisting a Flood Watch
this morning, but felt it would make more sense to do so either
on the day shift today or midnight shift tonight (again focusing
on the more pronounced threat on Thursday). Also, did touch
base with WPC on the potential need for an upgrade to the
current Level 2/4 threat level for flash flooding valid for
Thursday.
Friday onward:
A break in the hot and stormy pattern is expected Friday and
Saturday as a surface high pressure system works through the
region. Highs on Friday should top off in the upper 70s (locally
80), and lows Friday night should fall into the lower 60s.
Ensemble guidance than depicts the development of expansive
troughing across the northern United States next week. While the
main reservoir of hot and humid air would get shunted well
south of our area, a parade of shortwaves may lead to periodic
opportunities for showers and thunderstorms across our region
through next week.
Borchardt
&&
.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 1259 AM CDT Wed Jun 10 2026
Main Concerns:
- A few TS still possible early this morning
- +TS with a period of strong to damaging wind gusts appears
probable this afternoon
- Additional TS with VRB and gusty winds likely this evening
Southward progress of marine fog and very low stratus has
halted, thus only maintained TEMPO LIFR mention for ORD given
its close proximity to the low clouds. For the rest of the
overnight and early morning hours, we`ll continue to monitor the
low probability potential for TS to develop overhead. Maintained
PROB30 mention in the TAFs (except GYY) for now, and will
adjust per satellite and radar trends.
An upper disturbance lifting northeastward out of the central
Plains and very strong instability should set the stage for a
line of severe storms moving across the region this afternoon.
The exact evolution and timing remains in question, but signal
is strong enough for continued TEMPO mention with 45-55 kt wind
gusts. In the wake of the expected +TS, a period of VRB to
E/ESE winds may occur. Additional SHRA and at least VCTS appear
probable this evening, which may include organized TS with gusty
VRB winds. The SHRA/TS should end by the late evening, followed
by much quieter conditions the rest of tonight (Wednesday
night).
Southwest winds will quickly increase by the mid morning today,
with gusts in the 20-30 kt range until the afternoon TS arrival.
Castro
&&
.LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...None.
IN...None.
LM...Dense Fog Advisory until 7 AM CDT this morning for the IL and
IN nearshore waters.
Small Craft Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 9 PM CDT this
evening for the IL and IN nearshore waters.
&&
$$
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