onelouder.com, as data

National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, ILMidwest with a cold front lagging behind the wave and stretchingfrom central MN to eastern NE. Ahead of the front, a complex ofthunderstorms has developed in southern MN and northern IAwhich has started to turn towards the south as of recent radartrends. The expectation is for this thunderstorm complex tocontinue to dive southward across eastern IA this evening andgradually weaken as it does so. Therefore, dry conditions shouldprevail locally with partly cloudy skies and temperatures inthe mid-80s this afternoon cooling into the upper 60s to around70 overnight. However, with only modest capping being noted inrecent amdar soundings and the 18z DVN Raob; there is a lowchance that a few scattered showers or storms could drift intonorthwest IL later this evening. If this was to occur, the mainconcern with any showers/storms would be lightning and locallyheavy downpours but some locally gusty winds cannot be fullyruled out. For now have opted to maintain a 20-30% chance forshowers and thunderstorms through our forecast area tonight as aBy daybreak Saturday morning, any showers/storms that surviveinto our area should be eroded leaving us with another tranquiland seasonably warm summer day. Winds though will be out of thenorthwest behind the aforementioned front, but temperatures arestill expected to top out in the mid-80s Saturday afternoon.Otherwise, expect mostly sunny skies through Saturday evening.Heading into Saturday night, a building ridge of over thesouthwest CONUS will help to deepen a broad trough over theUpper Midwest and northern Great Lakes. This will in turngenerate stout northwest flow over northern IL and northwest INand allow several shortwaves to dive through the region Saturdaynight through at least the middle of next week. The first ofthese shortwaves is forecast to move through the region Saturdaynight into Sunday and lead to the development of a complex of