Rain chances across northern Illinois increase ahead of weekend cold front

Spotty Rain Chances:

The first week of meteorological spring kicked off on a pleasant note, featuring plenty of sun and afternoon highs in the upper 40s. Today brings a change, with more cloud cover drifting in and the chance for a spotty shower or two. Combined with a light wind out of the northeast, these factors will limit afternoon highs to the low to mid 40s. Tomorrow looks slightly milder, though cloud cover will remain in place as a weak surface low slides to our south. 

Better Rain Chances:

Rain chances will increase Wednesday night as the first of two storm system approaches. This one will be the weaker of the two, providing us with a scattered batch of showers into Thursday. 

 

  

Forecast models then show a secondary and more put together low lifting into the plains Friday morning into Friday afternoon. Atmospheric moisture will increase ahead of the associated cold front, allowing two rounds of rain to develop. One arriving Friday afternoon and a second, more widespread area of rain pushing in Friday evening and continuing into the early stages of Saturday morning. 

Non-severe thunderstorms will be a possible during this time period. Unfortunately, the heaviest rainfall continues to trend further south, this time across central Illinois and Indiana.