3/3 Illinois Weather 6 AM: Flood Warning

Good morning. Illinois. I'm Aaron Jolly. Folks, that gray ceiling you're waking up under? Think of it as a lid on a pot that's about to boil over. A massive front stretching from Georgia to Colorado is winding up. And we're sitting square in its crosshairs. High pressure over the Great Lakes is holding it off for now. But not for long. In the next 24 hours. Step outside in Chicago and you'll feel 38 degrees with that damp northeast wind cutting right through your layers. The kind of chill that makes your coffee cool too fast. You stay dry today and tonight, but enjoy it. That's the last boring weather you'll see for a while. Now drive south on I-55 and things get interesting quick. Central Illinois is already fogging up, with showers creeping in this afternoon. Highs push to 46 degrees. Then around 9 P.M., the sky opens. Thunderstorms roll in with three quarters to a full inch of rain. Keep the umbrella in the car. Northern Illinois splits the difference. Mostly cloudy, high near 43. Tonight actually clears a bit, dropping to 30 degrees. Early Wednesday morning, wind chills dip to about 26. That'll wake you up. Wednesday the rain spreads everywhere. Central Illinois gets the rough stuff. Strong thunderstorms south of I-70 Wednesday afternoon with large hail as the main concern. Worth watching closely. Now here's where the plot twists. Thursday and Friday bring a warm up that'll make your head spin. Friday could hit 77 degrees in central Illinois. That's nearly 40 degrees warmer than tonight's lows. February who? Then a cold front sweeps through Saturday, clearing us out for a gorgeous sunny Sunday near 60. Quick note. Tonight's full moon might struggle behind all those clouds. But we're gaining three minutes of daylight every day now. Spring equinox is two weeks out. Charge your phone tonight and keep an eye on radar Wednesday. I'll have the storm details first thing tomorrow. For the extended outlook, check the latest forecast as confidence improves. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.