Illinois Weather March 3 Midday - Flood Warning

Good afternoon. Illinois. I'm Jack O'Malley. Folks, there's a warm front draped across southern Illinois right now. And it's splitting this state in two. You step outside in Chicago and it's 36 degrees under a gray ceiling. Drive three hours south and it feels like a different season. Twenty degrees warmer down there. That boundary is the story tonight. In the next 24 hours. South of that front is where the action lives. Central Illinois sees showers and thunderstorms rolling in this evening. Rain is all but guaranteed, with up to an inch possible. Southwest of Jacksonville, there's a marginal severe risk. Hail is the main threat. Nothing catastrophic, but worth keeping an ear out. Northern Illinois? You stay cool and dry tonight. Lows near 30 degrees. Quiet skies. Almost boring compared to what's happening downstate. Chicagoland splits the difference. Mostly cloudy, lows around 35 degrees. Your turn comes Wednesday, when rain showers sneak in after 3 P.M. Now Wednesday night into Thursday is when this gets statewide. That warm front lifts north, dragging rain and fog with it. Central Illinois stays soggy. Chicago and the northern tier both see rain likely. And that patchy fog Thursday morning? Could make your commute feel like driving through a cotton ball. Rain hangs around through Thursday. Then Friday. The plot twist. Highs surge into the mid 60s, maybe touching 70 degrees. That kind of warmth in early March feels stolen. But it comes with a price. Another round of storms Friday night into Saturday morning. Sunday clears beautifully. Sunshine. Low 60s. The kind of day that makes you forget winter exists. Quick note. Tonight's full moon is up there somewhere behind all those clouds. And with the equinox two weeks out, we're gaining nearly three minutes of daylight every single day. Spring is knocking. For the extended outlook, check the latest forecast as confidence improves. Take care! That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.