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Good Wednesday morning! The colder air continues to press into the state this morning, after a wintry mix has impacted central, northern, and western areas overnight. The front is stalling out, so the rain will continue to fall all day in southeast Illinois. I do think much of central and especially northern areas catch a break in the moisture today.
All areas north of I-70 have seen significant rain totals over the past 72 hours!! A band of 3-5″!
Flood watches continue for southern Illinois until 6am CT Sunday for areas like Mt. Vernon, Carbondale, and Carmi. Heaviest rains will focus here over the coming days.
Things should dry out for much of the day in central and northern Illinois, while areas south of I-70 will see rain continue all day.
Additional rainfall over the next 18 hours (as of 5am CT):
Temperatures will be very chilly all day, warming into the 30s this afternoon:
Areas south of I-70 will see the rain pick up in intensity around midnight, with some light moisture moving north into central and northern Illinois. Moisture looks limited where we are below freezing, so the concern for some slick spots is there, but certainly lower than this morning. Much of the state will catch some dry weather Thursday.
The next round of moisture arrives Thursday night, mainly targeting the central and southern portions of the area:
It appears we may catch another break Friday afternoon, then the next round arrives Friday night through Saturday night. If you are making weekend plans…Saturday looks wet, but Sunday looks sunny and dry..finally! We could see thunderstorms Saturday evening, with a few strong storms possible. Best chance may be south where the greatest instability will be. Gusty winds would be the greatest concern.
7-day rainfall numbers remain very robust, with 4-7″ rain totals through southern sections of the state. Still some decent rains in central parts of the state, while the far northwest areas stay drier.
