Windy.com Temps | Gusts | WU KORD KPWK

CLICK for this month's BIG night sky ...

RADAR FULL MAP SCREEN

NEXRAD

STORMTRACK

Cardinal SAT

CHGOWX.COM



MOBILE DEVICE? Turn sideways. Weather conditions directly above are near Lakefront. Top tabs refer to O'Hare (official).

Archives for the SPC Convective Outlook are updated daily (approximately) with a live map at the beginning of each article. Follow the link at the end of the article to check for current updates on the NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center website. Also, see Archives for Chicago's hourly weather data on CARDINAL NEWS Magazine.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS WEATHER
O'Hare International Airport KORD (Arlington Heights South)
Chicago Executive Airport KPWK (Arlington Heights North)

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

SPC Jan 7, 2026 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

LIVE MAP (ABOVE) ... SPC 1200Z Day 1 Outlook


Day 1 Convective Outlook
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1136 PM CST Tue Jan 06 2026

Valid 071200Z - 081200Z

...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF
THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...

...SUMMARY...
Marginally severe storms are possible from late tonight into the
early morning on Thursday from parts of west and northwest Texas
northeastward into Oklahoma.

...West and Northwest Texas/Oklahoma...
A mid-level trough will move quickly east-northeastward from the
eastern Pacific this morning to the southern Plains tonight. Ahead
of the system, a lee surface trough will develop across the High
Plains, as winds become south to southeasterly over much of the
southern Plains. In response, moisture advection will increase over
the southern Plains, as a moist airmass spreads northwestward into
parts of west-central and north-central Texas by midnight. Along the
northwestern edge of this airmass, low-level convergence is forecast
to increase after midnight, which will aid scattered thunderstorm
development during the overnight period. Instability along a
southwest-to-northeast corridor is forecast to remain weak, with
MLCAPE peaking around 500 J/kg. In addition, a low-level capping
inversion just the east of the instability axis will keep much of
the convection elevated. In spite of these negative factors,
effective shear will be in the 40 to 50 knot range, and 700-500 mb
lapse rates are forecast to be between 7.5 and 8 C/km. This
environment could support a marginal severe threat with cells that
rotate. Hail and isolated severe wind gusts will be possible, mainly
in the 08Z to 12Z timeframe.

..Broyles/Squitieri.. 01/07/2026


Read more CHECK UPDATE ZOOM GRAPHIC


http://dlvr.it/TQBxlG

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

SPC Jan 6, 2026 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

LIVE MAP (ABOVE) ... SPC 2000Z Day 1 Outlook


Day 1 Convective Outlook
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0143 PM CST Tue Jan 06 2026

Valid 062000Z - 071200Z

...NO THUNDERSTORM AREAS FORECAST...

...SUMMARY...
Severe thunderstorms are not expected through tonight.

...20Z Update...
No changes to the ongoing forecast.

..Wendt.. 01/06/2026

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1017 AM CST Tue Jan 06 2026/

...Discussion...
A progressive upper-flow pattern will continue over the CONUS with
some amplification occurring through tonight within split flow over
the West. Convective potential will be essentially nil over the
CONUS.

A southern-stream shortwave trough off the coast of California will
spread southeastward toward Baja, with any related
thunderstorm-conducive environment expected to remain well offshore.
Multiple shortwave troughs will cross or approach the Pacific
Northwest tonight. Cooling mid-level temperatures may contribute to
weak buoyancy and some potential for a few lightning flashes, but
such potential is likely to remain below 10 percent.


Read more CHECK UPDATE ZOOM GRAPHIC


http://dlvr.it/TQBnBS

SPC Jan 6, 2026 1630 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

LIVE MAP (ABOVE) ... SPC 1630Z Day 1 Outlook


Day 1 Convective Outlook
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1017 AM CST Tue Jan 06 2026

Valid 061630Z - 071200Z

...NO THUNDERSTORM AREAS FORECAST...

...SUMMARY...
Severe thunderstorms are not expected through tonight.

...Discussion...
A progressive upper-flow pattern will continue over the CONUS with
some amplification occurring through tonight within split flow over
the West. Convective potential will be essentially nil over the
CONUS.

A southern-stream shortwave trough off the coast of California will
spread southeastward toward Baja, with any related
thunderstorm-conducive environment expected to remain well offshore.
Multiple shortwave troughs will cross or approach the Pacific
Northwest tonight. Cooling mid-level temperatures may contribute to
weak buoyancy and some potential for a few lightning flashes, but
such potential is likely to remain below 10 percent.

..Guyer/Moore.. 01/06/2026


Read more CHECK UPDATE ZOOM GRAPHIC


http://dlvr.it/TQBWYZ

SPC Jan 6, 2026 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

LIVE MAP (ABOVE) ... SPC 1200Z Day 1 Outlook


Day 1 Convective Outlook
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1100 PM CST Mon Jan 05 2026

Valid 061200Z - 071200Z

...NO THUNDERSTORM AREAS FORECAST...

...SUMMARY...
Thunderstorm probabilities across the U.S. appear less than 10
percent today through tonight.

...Discussion...
Thermodynamic profiles across the U.S. remain generally stable, or
at least not appreciably conducive to convective development capable
of producing lightning, and models indicate little potential for
change today through tonight. Limited ongoing moisture return, off a
still slowly modifying Gulf boundary-layer, appears likely to become
cut off, as low-level flow takes on an increasing westerly component
to the south and southwest of a modest cyclone forecast to migrate
across the southern Great Lakes region. Increasing large-scale
ascent, associated with secondary cyclogenesis near/offshore of the
northern Mid Atlantic through southern New England coast by late
tonight, may be accompanied by a substantive increase in
thunderstorm development, but mostly ahead of the trailing cold
front, near/east of the Gulf Stream.

Upstream, models indicate that mid/upper flow will undergo
amplification across the northern mid-latitudes of the Pacific into
western North America. It appears that this may include at least
one vigorous short wave impulse digging toward the Pacific
Northwest, accompanied by a potentially notable convective band with
embedded thunderstorm activity, but probably not quite reaching the
coastal waters prior to 12Z Wednesday.

Farther south, within larger-scale troughing digging across the
southern mid- to subtropical latitude eastern Pacific, a relatively
compact cyclonic mid-level circulation may evolve, with an
associated cold core that could support a developing area of
thunderstorm activity. However, before undergoing an
east-northeastward acceleration toward northern Baja and the
Southwestern international border vicinity, it appears that this
will remain offshore through 12Z Wednesday.

..Kerr.. 01/06/2026


Read more CHECK UPDATE ZOOM GRAPHIC


http://dlvr.it/TQ9t5t
SUNRISE AND SUNSET TIMES IN UTC (if you're not logged in to Google)
CHICAGO UTC-6 during CST (Central Standard Time, e.g., winter)
CHICAGO UTC-5 during CDT (Daylight Savings Time, e.g., summer)