SPRINGFIELD & CENTRAL ILLINOIS FORECAST

SEPTEMBER ENDS UP FEELING LIKE SUMMER

SATURDAY: Ending September on a very warm note, just a few degrees shy of a record. High: 88 Low: 60

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny and still way above normal temperatures. High: 86

MONDAY: Plenty of sunshine and staying warm. High: 85

TUESDAY: More sunshine and more above average temperatures. High: 86

WEDNESDAY: Increasing clouds with a chance for late day showers. High: 82

Welcome to the weekend! Sunshine and lots of it will prevail over central Illinois. High pressure parked over the Great Lakes region is providing a dry stable weather pattern featuring abundant sunshine, and not only will there be lots of sunny skies, but temperatures will be unusually warm.

Thanks to the sunny skies and warm southerly winds, temperatures will be unseasonably warm feeling more like Summer than Fall. Afternoon highs on Saturday will skyrocket into the mid to upper 80s, running at least 10 degrees above average and just shy of setting records. The official record high for Springfield for Saturday is 92 while the record for Lincoln is 93.

Don't expect much change in the current weather pattern through early next week with temperatures feeling more like early August and not early October. Afternoon highs will generally be topping out in the mid 80s Sunday through Tuesday while overnight lows stay in the 60s.

But a change in the weather arrives midweek as our next weather maker will be approaching. Look for increasing clouds on Wednesday with a chance for late day showers as a cold front moves in, and then even better chances for scattered showers and storms on Thursday.

In the wake of this cold front, temperatures will drop significantly falling into the low 70s on Thursday and then afternoon highs only in the mid 60s by next weekend. So although this weekend will feel like a taste of Summer, next weekend will look and feel more like Autumn.

Cheryl Lemke - Storm Team Chief Meteorologist

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CHAMPAIGN-EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS FORECAST

BIG WARM UP TO END SEPTEMBER AND HEAD INTO OCTOBER

TONIGHT: Clear and cool with more fog developing. Low: 57

FRIDAY: Back into the low 80s. High: 83

SATURDAY: Ending September on a warm note, a few degrees shy of record highs. High: 87

SUNDAY: Slightly cooler and still above the norm. High: 84

MONDAY: Dry and warm. High: 83

Get ready for another dose of some late Summer weather as we track a warm up headed to Central Illinois. We enjoyed the cooler temperatures the last few days and now we're going to have to wait about a week before we see some actual Fall-like weather.

High pressure will dominate the Midwest and keep skies full of sunshine. It will also help to warm our temperatures up to above average conditions for late September and early October. High temperatures will hit the low-mid 80s for Friday and we'll be even warmer for the start of the weekend and our final day of September. Highs will warm within a few degrees of 90 and then cool down slightly for Sunday and into early next week.

Dry weather will continue through about the next week, but long-range models continue to show that some showers will be returning by the end of next week and into our first weekend of October. Clouds will start to build in by the middle of next week with temperatures starting to fall. It looks like we'll return to the low 70s by next Thursday and then some mid 60s by October 7-8th.

Storm Team Meteorologist Darren Leeds

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