By WMBD-TV

CENTRAL ILLINOIS – After nearly two weeks of dry weather, showers and storms have made a return to central Illinois. While this storm system will not be as impactful as other events this summer, a few severe storms are possible Thursday evening and overnight.

STORM TIMING

The main window for severe weather chances will begin after 7 p.m. and stick around through 2 a.m. Friday. Beyond tonight, quieter weather will return. There is a stray storm chance late Friday afternoon and evening, but most of the area will remain dry.

FUTURETRACK

After a drier afternoon and early evening, all eyes will be on radar for additional storms to develop tonight. A few storms may become severe with damaging wind gusts and large hail the primary threats. An isolated tornado can’t be ruled out, but that threat is lower. Have ways to get warnings when you head to bed tonight. Our CIProud 2Go weather app is a great way to get those alerts whether you are at home or on the go.

The Storm Prediction Center has the area under a level 2/5 (slight) severe risk. This means scattered severe storms are a possibility.

FORECAST UNCERTAINTY

There are a few scenarios where storms could end up less widespread and not as intense. If morning showers and clouds struggle to exit, that will keep temperatures down and instability levels lower ahead of the approaching cold front tonight. The other question is how fast do storms develop tonight? The earlier they can get going, the greater the chance to turn severe. If they struggle to develop until closer to midnight or after, the storms will tend to be less severe. The other question is how widespread storms can become. It appears some areas will miss out as storms will tend to be scattered.

LOOKING AHEAD

The good news is that the pattern looks rather quiet starting this weekend. Cooler than average temperatures and lower humidity levels will arrive into next week as high pressure provides several days of sunshine.