Illinois Weather 3/8 Midday - Flood Warning

Good afternoon. Illinois. I'm Aaron Jolly. Step outside right now and you'll feel 47 degrees with clearing skies. That overnight rain? Gone. But this is just the opening act. Today brings pure sunshine with highs hitting 60 degrees across Chicago and the northern tier. Central Illinois pushes to 64. Southwest winds gust to 30 miles an hour, so hold onto your hat. Tonight stays mild — lows only dip to the mid-40s statewide. Monday cranks up the heat. Chicago hits 69 degrees. Central Illinois? Here comes 74. That's well above normal for early March. Those southwest winds keep gusting to 25 miles an hour. But Tuesday brings the drama. Central Illinois could hit 79 degrees — flirting with the 80-degree record at Springfield. Northern areas reach the low 70s. Then the storms arrive. Showers and thunderstorms develop by afternoon with a 60 to 70 percent chance statewide. Some could turn severe. Heavy rain is likely — 1 to 2 inches possible, with localized heavier amounts. Wednesday flips the script. Morning storms continue, then a cold front crashes through. Rain may mix with snow as temperatures plummet. By Thursday, we're back to reality — highs only in the mid-40s to around 50. Mostly sunny, but feeling like a different season. Friday brings another system with rain and snow mixing in. The weekend stays unsettled with more precipitation chances Saturday night into Sunday. One more thing — clocks spring forward tonight. You lose an hour of sleep, but we gain daylight. Spring equinox is just 12 days away. Enjoy the warmth while it lasts. See you this evening.