• CENTRAL ILLINOIS WEATHER

• FORECAST

DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10AM for Sangamon, Morgan, Menard, Scott, Cass & Mason counties.

TODAY: Morning fog... Sunny and mild. HIGH 65.

TONIGHT: Clear skies. LOW 41.

TOMORROW: After a sunny start, look for increasing clouds in the afternoon. HIGH 64.

Joe Crain
Storm Team 20 Meteorologist

• ALMANAC

Thursday March 18, 2010

AVERAGE HIGH: 52
AVERAGE LOW: 33
RECORD HIGH: 77 (1886)
RECORD LOW: 5 (1923)

SUNRISE: 7:05 AM
SUNSET: 7:09 PM

Rain, along with some possible snow and colder temperatures, will be back over the weekend. In the meantime, we'll enjoy abundant sunshine and delightfully warmer weather the next couple of days.

Areas of fog could redevelop once again this morning as temperatures fall toward the dew point. Any fog shouldn't be as thick or as long lasting as yesterday. Once any fog clears out, we'll enjoy another day of brilliant sunshine with afternoon highs well into the mid- 60's around mid-Illinois.

High pressure will continue to dominate over the nation's mid-section through tomorrow with a sunny start to the day on Friday and warmer temperatures running about a good 15 degrees above normal. But, clouds will be on the increase in the afternoon and evening ahead of the next storm system.

Spring officially arrives on Saturday, but ol' Man Winter doesn't want to go away just yet.

The outlook for the weekend has the next storm system moving into the area with rain showers developing through the day on Saturday with precipitation continuing through Sunday.

Colder air will be trailing behind the cold front associated with this weekend's wet weather. With overnight temperatures dropping toward the freezing mark, we could see a mix of rain and snow---or, all snow---late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. No accumulation is expected. As temperatures rise back into the 40's by Sunday afternoon, any lingering precipitation will turn back to all rain before tapering off Sunday evening.

Partly to mostly sunny skies return early next week with temperatures gradually returning to more typical Springtime readings before another chance of rain returns on Wednesday.

The 7-day temperature outlook has highs in the mid- 60's today; upper 60's tomorrow; around 50 Saturday; lower 40's Sunday; near 50 Monday; and, mid- to upper 50's Tuesday and Wednesday. Overnight lows will be in the lower 40's tonight and tomorrow night; lower 30's Saturday night; around 30 Sunday and Monday night; and, upper 30's by Tuesday night.

Joe Crain
Storm Team 20 Meteorologist