Jonathan Chriest, the incident meteorologist for Incident Management Team 13, expects high winds and thunderstorms in the area Thursday night.
He said wind gusts could be as high as 40 miles per hour in the Illinois Valley.
Chriest also expects smoke to be dense near the fire, making visibility an issue for firefighters.
Chriest said, “we’re looking for a more persistent weather pattern to set up moderated conditions Friday through the weekend, with no thunderstorms expected.”
Chriest is expecting a low pressure system to move into the area by Friday and introduce calmer conditions.
He said it’s difficult to predict weather for the complex beyond five days in advance.
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