Special Weather Statement | Illinois Weather 6 AM

Good morning! I'm Aaron Jolly. And welcome to the Illinois Weather Podcast. It's Tuesday, February 24th. Step outside right now and you're feeling 20 degrees. Enjoy that for about five minutes.. Because today's temperature is about to launch like a rocket. We're talking a 30 degree swing by this afternoon. But that warmth rides in on some serious wind. And the National Weather Service is flagging elevated fire danger across central and southern Illinois. If you had plans to burn brush today, shelve them. Folks, down in central Illinois, you're getting the wildest ride. Springfield and Decatur wake up at 20 degrees and hit 51 by 4 P.M. That's a February day pretending to be April. Winds gust to 21 miles an hour around noon. Feels like someone left the oven door open. Tonight only drops to 30. But Wednesday night into Thursday, a rain and snow mix sneaks in. Could see half an inch of accumulation. Thursday morning commute might get slippery. Over in Chicagoland, you start at 21 degrees. South winds at 18 miles an hour push you to 40 by 4 P.M. A quick splash of light rain rolls through between 4 and 6 P.M. Then something weird happens. Temperatures actually climb overnight, bottoming at 26 around midnight before creeping back to 29 by dawn. Wednesday brings sunshine and 35 degrees, then snow chances return Thursday. Up in northern Illinois, you're climbing from 16 to 41 this afternoon. Mixed rain and snow moves in between 3 and 5 P.M. Tonight settles into the low 20s with gusty west winds. Wednesday gives you one quiet day before Thursday's wintry weather. Now the week ahead tells quite a story. Thursday's messy, but Friday.. Friday is gorgeous. Sunny skies, highs in the 50s statewide. Central Illinois could touch 61. Then a cold front crashes the party Saturday. Sunday into Monday, another round of snow is possible, especially north and central. Charge your phone tonight. You'll want weather alerts handy by Thursday. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow. Take care!