Tornadoes and Flooding in Illinois, June 20 to 21, 2021

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, IL
635 PM CDT Sun Jun 20 2021

.MESOSCALE DISCUSSION...
203 PM CDT

The MCV we have been monitoring since daybreak is struggling to
maintain a consistent footprint of deep convection as it enters
west- central Illinois early this afternoon. Even with these radar
trends, conditions continue to destabilize south of the warm
front, which is now analyzed to be roughly from northern La Salle
County eastward between I-80 and I-88 into extreme northwest
Indiana. Deep-layer shear of 40kt+ remains present with 50-60kt of
mid-level flow per KLOT VWP.

The lack of increasing convection suggests low-level capping may
be a little more robust that previously thought, likely owing to
slower heating from the cirrus canopy filtering overhead since
this morning. With this complex mesoscale set-up, CAMs
unsurprisingly continue to struggle. However, the trend of hourly
CAMs to quickly re-develop convection as the MCV enters the CWA is
entirely plausible if the CAP is indeed taking longer to erode.

We now have to focus on the prospect that the afternoon
convection does not fully materialize and determine the
implications as we move into this evening. With minimal convection
this afternoon, the low- level air mass should quickly recover on
a developing 50kt+ LLJ. So, round two of potential severe
convection along the cold front mid to late evening is still in
play, with pockets of damaging winds and perhaps embedded QLCS
tornadoes near and south of the warm front.

Kluber

&&

.SHORT TERM...
344 PM CDT

Through Monday night...

Convection from this evening's expected activity should be clear of
the area by morning with the passage of the frontal zone, but
additional daytime showers could develop as the strong upper vort
lobe swings through during the period of peak afternoon heating. Low
levels will be well mixed and unstable given the breezy northwest
winds, but any convection that manages to develop should be
relatively shallow given a projected warm nose around the 700mb
level.  Thus thunderstorms appear to be less likely relative to
isolated showers.  In addition, with the cooler and drier airmass,
afternoon heat indices should be 10 to 20 degrees below today's
values. Actual highs will only reach the upper 60s to lower 70s.

Lenning

&&

.LONG TERM...
344 PM CDT

Tuesday through Sunday...

Northwest and westerly low level flow around a surface ridge
passing to our south will support cooler and drier conditions
continuing into Tuesday. A warmer and more humid airmass then
returns for Wednesday as the ridge moves into the Ohio Valley and
winds turn more southerly again. Weak disturbances in mid and
upper level flow may support a small chance of precip Tuesday
night into early Wednesday for northern portions of the area. By
Thursday afternoon and especially into Friday, models are showing
a more pronounced upper disturbance with a corresponding surface
low and frontal zone. The peak period for associated shower and
thunderstorm activity appears to be late Thursday through
Friday...with the weekend showing typical summertime heat with
slight chances of storms. The timing of these features through the
area could of course change, which would also influence the
weekend outlook.

Lenning

&&

.AVIATION...
For the 00Z TAFs...

Aviation Forecast Concerns:

* Thunderstorms, possibly strong to severe expected mid-evening
  through midnight or so.

* Period of MVFR ceilings behind a cold front late tonight into
  Monday morning.

* Gusty northwest winds behind the cold front late tonight,
  remaining breezy and turning more northerly Monday. Winds may
  shift northeast later in the afternoon at the Chicago metro
  terminals.

Cloud shield associated with a mid-level disturbance (convectively
enhanced short wave/MCV) suppressed surface warming and resulting
low level instability just enough to keep strong convection from
developing across the terminals this afternoon. Strong-severe
thunderstorms which have developed off to the east across Lake
Michigan and points east/southeast will continue to move away from
the terminals to the east early this evening. A period of
subsidence in the wake of this mid-level circulation should keep
weather conditions tranquil through the early evening hours. Only
concern in the immediate term is a weak outflow boundary which
will drift southwest across KORD shortly, and may provide a short
period (an hour or so) of northeast winds less than 10 kts.
Gradually increasing south-southwest flow should then push this
back north/northeast of the field.

Attention then turns back to the west/northwest to an area of
thunderstorms which have developed along a cold front across
northeastern and central IA. While today's cloud cover and
lingering cool pool from earlier showers have had a stabilizing
effect on the low level air mass across much of northern IL,
increasing southerly flow is expected to help allow some recovery
ahead of the line of approaching storms. Along with decent forcing
for ascent ahead of the cold front and an approaching upper level
trough, this is expected to allow storms to continue to push east
into the area after 02-03Z. Additional elevated showers or storms
may also develop ahead of this as the low level jet increase warm
advection above the more stable boundary layer. Therefore it does
appear that a threat of thunderstorms will exist across the
terminals from mid-evening through or a little after midnight,
with some potential for gusty winds with the stronger cells.

South-southwest winds are expected to gradually increase a bit
this evening ahead of the cold front, and then become quite gusty
from the northwest late tonight behind the front. Winds could
initially gust near 30 kts during the pre-dawn hours, then very
slowly ease into Monday morning/midday. Winds will likely turn
more northerly (and probably north-northeasterly for Chicago
terminals) Monday afternoon. In the cold advection behind the cold
front a period of MVFR ceilings is likely into Monday morning,
before cloud bases gradually improve to VFR and scatter out by
midday or early Monday afternoon.

Ratzer

&&

.LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...None.
IN...Beach Hazards Statement...INZ001-INZ002...7 AM Monday to 10 PM
     Monday.

LM...Small Craft Advisory...LMZ740-LMZ741-LMZ742...1 AM Monday to 3
     PM Monday.

     Small Craft Advisory...LMZ743-LMZ744-LMZ745...1 AM Monday to 10
     PM Monday.

&&

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Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville IL
433 PM CDT Sun Jun 20 2021

ILZ003>006-008-010>013-019>021-023-032-033-039-103>108-INZ001-002-
010-011-019-212145-
Winnebago-Boone-McHenry-Lake IL-Ogle-Lee-De Kalb-Kane-DuPage-
La Salle-Kendall-Grundy-Kankakee-Livingston-Iroquois-Ford-
Northern Cook-Central Cook-Southern Cook-Northern Will-
Southern Will-Eastern Will-Lake IN-Porter-Newton-Jasper-Benton-
433 PM CDT Sun Jun 20 2021 /533 PM EDT Sun Jun 20 2021/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North Central
Illinois...Northeast Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
  Limited Tornado risk. Limited hail risk...up to quarters.
  Elevated damaging wind risk...up to 70 mph.
  Limited Flooding Risk.

DISCUSSION...

 The first round of convection that was expected during the
 daytime hours today has had a really hard time developing so far,
 but the second round is starting to pop up ahead of a cold front
 across Iowa and Missouri. The atmosphere will remain favorable
 for severe thunderstorm development, but the best focus now
 appears to be later this evening.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

Monday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
  Limited Non Thunderstorm Wind Risk.
Tuesday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Thursday through Saturday...
  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk.

DISCUSSION:

 There is a small chance of storms areawide Monday and mainly
 north by late Tuesday but coverage on both days should be very
 limited.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  Spotters may be needed this evening.

GENERAL STORM MOTION OF THE DAY:

 Moving toward the east at 40 mph.

LMZ740>745-212145-
Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL-
Wilmette Harbor to Northerly Island IL-
Northerly Island to Calumet Harbor IL-
Calumet Harbor IL to Gary IN-Gary to Burns Harbor IN-
Burns Harbor to Michigan City IN-
433 PM CDT Sun Jun 20 2021

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Illinois
nearshore waters of Lake Michigan and the Indiana nearshore
waters of Lake Michigan.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Hazardous conditions for small craft.
  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Limited Waterspout Risk.
     Limited hail risk...up to quarter size.
     Elevated thunderstorm wind gust risk...up to 50 knots.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

Monday...
  Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
Tuesday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Thursday and Friday...
  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk.
Saturday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.

Lenning

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