Stormy Skies Possible This Weekend

Heavy rain sweeps across the parking lot of Illinois Public Media on June 19, 2021.

URBANA – The National Weather Service in Central Illinois advises that you stay weather aware this weekend.

Strong thunderstorms are possible late Friday night into Saturday morning. Damaging wind gusts, embedded tornadoes and large hail are possible.

That could be followed this weekend with heavy rain. The Champaign-Urbana area could receive between two and three inches of rain. Meteorologists warn you to not drive into flooded roads and to be aware of rivers, streams and creeks that could swell quickly.

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM