Severe weather possible late today and this evening

[April 27, 2009]  A cold front will track slowly toward central Illinois today, bringing showers and thunderstorms to the area. Some of the thunderstorms this afternoon and early this evening may become severe south of line from El Paso to Rushville. The primary threat from the thunderstorms will be from damaging straight-line winds.

In addition to the thunderstorms, gusty south winds will once again dominate the weather scene, especially across east-central and southeast Illinois, where a wind advisory is in effect. In the advisory area, roughly east of a line from Mahomet to Shelbyville, winds will be from the south at 25 to 35 mph, with occasional gusts as high as 45 mph.

Showers and thunderstorms will continue this evening, with rain chances gradually ending from west to east by Tuesday morning. Only the Interstate 70 corridor will see lingering shower activity early Tuesday.

Temperatures the next couple of days will cool down closer to normal as a weak Canadian high pressure drifts across the Great Lakes.

[Graphic and text from file received from Terry Storer, Logan County Emergency Management Agency]