Weather Alerts For Wataga, IL

# HEADLINE -------------------- AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT # SUMMARY -------------------- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has issued an Areawide Air Pollution Action Day for Monday July 20th for portions of Illinois. An Areawide Air Pollution Action Day is declared when weather conditions are such that widespread ozone and or particulate levels are forecast to be at OR ABOVE the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) category in all or nearly all Illinois AQI forecast sectors. Areas both inside and outside of the Action Day coverage area are likely to see smoke/particulates to a varying degree and duration today with smoke likely decreasing from southwest to northeast this afternoon. Those with air quality concerns or anyone in Illinois with outdoor plans are encouraged to check current NowCast readings or sign up for EnviroFlash alerts on AirNow. gov. Before going outside, checking the NowCast AQI will help identify periods of both poor and cleaner air quality regardless of the level of the daily 24-hour AQI forecast. AQI Category Guidance Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) - Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected. Sensitive groups: Make outdoor activities shorter and less intense. It’s OK to be active outdoors, but take more breaks. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. People with asthma: Follow your asthma action plan and keep quick relief medicine handy. People with heart disease: Symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue may indicate a serious problem. If you have any of these, contact your health care provider. Unhealthy - Sensitive groups: Avoid long or intense outdoor activities. Consider rescheduling or moving activities indoors. Everyone else: Reduce long or intense activities. Take more breaks during outdoor activities. Media Contact... Illinois EPA # DETAILS -------------------- ISSUED AT Monday, July 20, 2026 at 3:10 AM CDT ISSUED BY Relayed by National Weather Service Lincoln IL HEADER Air Quality Alert Message # AREAS AFFECTED -------------------- Cumberland, Mason, Morgan, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fulton, Jasper, Knox, Lawrence, Logan, Macon, Marshall, McLean, Menard, Moultrie, Peoria, Piatt, Richland, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Tazewell, Vermilion, Woodford Including the cities of Galesburg, Toulon, Peoria, Lacon, Eureka, Canton, Pekin, Bloomington, Normal, Rushville, Havana, Lincoln, Clinton, Monticello, Champaign, Urbana, Danville, Beardstown, Petersburg, Winchester, Jacksonville, Springfield, Taylorville, Decatur, Sullivan, Tuscola, Charleston, Mattoon, Paris, Shelbyville, Greenup, Marshall, Effingham, Newton, Robinson, Flora, Olney, and Lawrenceville

There is a Slight Severe Storm Risk for your location. Continue reading for today's outlook from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. -------------------- National Severe Storm Outlook THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE UPPER GREAT LAKES INTO THE LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY SUMMARY Severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, severe hail, and a couple of tornadoes will continue across portions of the Upper Great Lakes and Lower Missouri Valley through late tonight. 01Z Update Water-vapor imagery and VWP data indicate a robust midlevel wave and accompanying belt of 50-60-kt west-northwesterly flow overspreading the Upper Midwest, and this feature will continue east-southeastward across the Great Lakes region tonight. In the low-levels, an attendant cold front will continue east-southeastward across this region as well. In the Upper Great Lakes and Midwest, 50-60 kt of deep-layer shear (sampled by regional VWPs) oriented perpendicular to the cold front and a relatively narrow corridor of strong pre-frontal buoyancy (around 3000 J/kg MLCAPE) will continue to promote semi-discrete supercell structures. Locally damaging wind gusts, severe hail, and a couple of tornadoes will be possible with this activity, given ample low-level hodograph curvature (around 250 m2/s2 effective SRH) beneath the core of a 40-kt LLJ. This activity will generally spread east-southeastward across parts of Lower MI tonight, where a continued risk of damaging wind gusts, severe hail, and a tornado or two will continue ahead of the cold front before encountering increasingly stable air. Farther south, a couple organized clusters are tracking southward across parts of southern IA and western IL. Given strong cold pools with this activity, the primary concern will be severe wind gusts and isolated/sporadic hail. These storms will continue tracking south-southeastward along a surface-based buoyancy gradient before gradually weakening overnight.