Tornado watches issued downstate, lots of severe weather reports coming in from Missouri and southern Illinois. We shouldn't see too much of that here, however, severe weather can't be ruled out. See outlook below

WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED:

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW MAY PRODUCE:
HAIL TO ONE INCH.
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.
MODERATE RAINFALL AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING:

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
THROUGH THE LATE EVENING HOURS. THE MOST EXTENSIVE THUNDERSTORM
COVERAGE WILL MAINLY BE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80...WITH COVERAGE
MORE ISOLATED NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM
PONTIAC TO KANKAKEE TO CHESTERTON.

DISCUSSION:

AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CONTINUES TO DEEPEN AS IT APPROACHES ST.
LOUIS. THE LOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN AS IT LIFTS
NORTHEAST INTO WEST-CENTRAL INDIANA BY EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SERVE AS THE FOCAL POINT FOR
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG AND SOUTH OF AN ASSOCIATED WARM
FRONT THROUGH LATE THIS EVENING.

SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE LOW WILL BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. WARM AIR
OVERRUNNING THE WARM FRONT MAY ACT TO LIMIT THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. WITH VERY STRONG
UPPER LEVEL WINDS...IT IS EXPECTED THAT CONVECTION MAY...AT
ONSET...BEGIN AS ISOLATED CELLS AND THEN DEVELOP INTO LINE
SEGMENTS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. WHILE THE MAIN THREATS
CONTINUE TO BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...ISOLATED
TORNADOES CAN NOT BE RULED OUT FOR FAR SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF
THE OUTLOOK AREA. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST OF THE
OUTLOOK AREA SHORTLY BY MIDNIGHT.

IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...MODERATE TO LOCALLY
HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE. THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS SATURATED
WITH AMPLE MOISTURE OVER THE OUTLOOK AREA. THE KANKAKEE
RIVER...IROQUOIS RIVER AND SUGAR CREEK BASINS WILL BE
PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

GIVEN ONLY A BRIEF PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY AND MORE RAIN LIKELY BY FRIDAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND...THE
GROUND WILL REMAIN SATURATED WITH LITTLE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY.
ALSO...AREA RIVERS THAT REACH FLOOD LEVEL EARLY IN THE FORECAST
PERIOD WILL HAVE LITTLE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEDE. AREA RIVERS WILL
NEED TO BE MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL FLOODING. THE
POTENTIAL FOR AREAL FLOODING AWAY FROM RIVERS WILL ALSO NEED TO BE
MONITORED CLOSELY AS WELL.

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