US National Weather Service Central Region Headquarters

[Wednesday May 5th 1:30 PM CDT] It's likely no surprise to anyone that drought conditions are developing across parts of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana.... Since April 1, parts of the area have seen less than 25% of normal rainfall (image 1). Chicago O'Hare has only seen 0.78" of rain since April 1, some 3.19" below normal. With so little rainfall, soil moisture values are also well below normal especially in and around the Chicago area. In some locations, soil moisture is in the bottom 1% of recorded measurements (image 2). River and stream levels are also much below normal. The U.S. Drought Monitor (image 3), released every Thursday, has a large portion of northern Illinois and most of northwest Indiana in a "Moderate Drought." With no guaranteed soaking rainfall over the next seven days, worsening conditions are certainly possible. You can read more about the developing drought here: https://www.weather.gov//2021_05_05_Spring_Drought_Outlook

Check out our event review page for the major flash flooding that occurred on February 28 across portions of the region: https://www.weather.gov/pah/Feb28_2021Flooding

Clouds are typically colder than land, and thus stand out well on Infrared Satellite imagery. Not so this morning! Only the few moving objects in this loop are ...clouds... the rest is very cold ground (other than portions of the relatively warm Missouri River)! Lows temperatures have dropped generally into the -10 to -20 F range for most in our area this morning. 7am 2-8-2021 See more

Happy #EarthDay2021, everyone! Take some time to rediscover and connect with nature -- and help preserve the natural world in your neighborhood. We have some g...reat ideas and cool Earth-science content to get you started: http://bit.ly/NOAAEarthDay2021 [About this photo: Early morning rainbow along the south shore of Maui taken July 29, 2019, in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Jeff Moore/NOAA] #EarthDayNOAA

Road conditions are deteriorating across northern Illinois. For the latest road conditions... Illinois: www.gettingaroundillinois.com/WinterConditions/ Indiana: indot.carsprogram.org

Gusty thunderstorm outflow winds can be VERY strong. Here are some tips for when the wind blows hard! #COwx #Colorado #SevereWeatherAwarenessWeek Go to https://www.weather.gov//ColoradoSevereWeatherAwarenessWeek for an overview of the week!

After thunderstorms last night, a quieter and cooler day is expected today with highs in the mid 50s to near 60. However, rain will move back into the area on F...riday with several rounds of showers and a few thunderstorms expected to continue through the weekend. A flood watch is in effect Friday through Saturday for areas south of I-70 where another 2 to 4 inches of rain will be possible on top of the 1 to 3 inches that fell over those areas last night. See more