Today will be a very nice day at COTA as we'll have mostly sunny skies throughout the day. Afternoon highs will top out in the upper 70s and winds will be out of the southeast at 5-10 MPH. No rain at this point, but clouds and a small chance of a passing shower or two become possible after sunset.

Saturday is looking better today as the models continue to show less activity in the area. While skies will be mainly cloudy throughout the day, the good news is that now it is only a small chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms. We'll start off in the upper 50s at 8:00 am and will climb into the lower 70s for the high. Winds will be out of the southeast at 6-12 MPH. Chance of rain is now down to 30%.

Even better news for Sunday as it looks like any rain chances will hold off until after sunset. Skies will be partly cloudy throughout the day but it will be a little breezy at times. We'll start off in the lower 60s at 8:00 am but will climb into the upper 70s to near 80 degrees for the high. Winds will be out of the south at 8-16 MPH.

The good news is that the forecast is starting to trend a little better for the event weekend as rain chances are starting to drop a little, especially for Saturday.

We'll start off with sunny skies on Friday morning with temperatures in the lower 50s at 8:00 am and winds out of the south-southwest at 2-5 MPH. Clouds will begin to move in during the day but we'll still end up with mostly clear skies by the end of the on-track activities. Afternoon highs will top out in the mid-70s with winds out of the south to southeast at 5-10 MPH. No rain is expected at this time.

We'll have a weaker system slowly moving by well off to the north of Texas on Saturday, but it will be close enough to fire off some scattered showers and maybe a few thunderstorms. The good news is that today's model runs have trended much drier throughout the day, but still show some activity in the area. We'll start off with cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-50s at 8:00 am and will warm up to right around 70 degrees for the high. Winds will be south of the southeast at 6-12 MPH and the chance of rain will be around 40%. If any showers form and move over the track, they will be quick-hitters and shouldn't last that long at all.

Sunday will feature more clouds than sun to start, but the cloud cover will diminish somewhat, becoming partly cloudy by the end of the racing day. That system will still be close enough to the area that a stray shower or thunderstorm may fire up during the heating of the day, but at this point, the chances of that happening are slim. Temperatures will start off in the lower 60s at 8:00 am and top out in the upper 70s. Winds will be out of the south at 6-12 MPH throughout the day, and the chance of rain is only 20%.

As you can see by the above animation, rain still looks to be possible at times over Circuit Of The Americas throughout the weekend. There will be a weakening system moving through the area that will still have enough kick to fire off some scattered showers and thunderstorms during the a time frame that stretches from Friday evening through all of Saturday and Sunday.

At this point, all of the on-track activity for Friday will be dry as those shower chances do not ramp up until after 6:00 pm. Skies will be mostly sunny to start the day, but clouds will be moving in throughout the morning and afternoon hours. Morning temperatures will start off right around 50 degrees at 8:00 am and rise into the lower 70s for the daytime high. Winds will be out of the southeast at 1-5 to start and increasing to 5-10 by afternoon.

Really, there is no change to the forecast for Saturday... We'll have cloudy skies throughout the day with the possibility of showers and thunderstorms moving across the track at any time. Morning temperatures will start off in the lower 50s and only make it into the upper 60s by the afternoon. Winds will be out of the southeast at 6-12 MPH. The chance of rain for Circuit Of The Americas at this point is at 50%. Rainfall amounts throughout the day should end up around 0.25 inches.

With the possibility of lightning, you will have to be weather aware while at the track. If you hear thunder, you are close enough to the parent thunderstorm to be struck by lightning. Find a sturdy building or a hard top vehicle to see shelter until the storm passes. The good news is that there are no strong to severe storms expected, so you don't have to worry about strong winds or tornadoes.

Sunday will be a much warmer day at the track with more clouds than sun, but we will continue to have a very small chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm. The good news is that the model has been trending a little drier on this run so rainfall amounts, if any falls, should be around 0.05 inches... maybe just enough to bring out the rain tires for a stint. We'll start off in the lower 60s at 8:00 am and warm into the mid-70s for the afternoon high. Winds will be out of the south at 6-12 MPH. The chance of rain for Circuit Of The Americas at this point is at 20%.

We'll, if you like to see the best racers in the world in the wet at Circuit of the Americas, you may get your chance this weekend as the NTT Indycar Series makes its inaugural visit along with Indy Lights.

Friday morning will start off with mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 40s to near 50 degrees at 8:00 am, but clouds will begin to build as the day progresses. Skies will be partly cloudy and we will begin to have a very small chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm through the rest of the on-track day, only around 20%. Afternoon highs will be in the lower 70s with dewpoints rising from the lower 40s to the upper 40s. Winds will be out of the southeast at 5-10 MPH.

Saturday looks to be a day that could be wet at times. We have the potential of scattered showers and thunderstorms moving across the track at anytime during the day. The good news is that the rain will not last all day long. At this point, these will be just general thunderstorms... no severe weather is expected at this time. With lightning expected, you still have to be weather aware and take cover inside a sturdy building (not a tent or temporary structure) or inside a hard-top vehicle (no convertables). Temperatures will start off in the upper 50s at 8:00 am and warm up into the upper 60s for the daytime high. Winds will be out of the southeast at 5-10 MPH. Chance of rain will be around 60%.

Sunday will be a mostly cloudy day to start with temperatures in the lower 60s at 8:00 am and we'll continue to have a very small chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm throughout the day (around 20%). Clouds will be slowly decreasing throughout the day with the exception if one of those scattered showers makes it to the track. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 70s. Winds will be out of the south at 6-12 MPH.

Please remember to take cover if lightning is in the area. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from the parent thunderstorm. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck. I'll have radar up and running by Friday morning. I'll have another update on Wednesday morning. Have a great day!

By Doug Schneider

The main change to the forecast today has been to add a slight chance of showers on Friday evening. It looks like there will be enough instability developing late in the day on Friday, along with a weak trough ahead of the main cold front that will allow for some showers to develop in the area. This may result in some rain during the WEC race, which ends at midnight. The chance of any rain is still quite low, only 20%, and if there is any rain, I expect it will be light. This is why I kept the impact as a green flag - it should not be enough to interrupt the action, and it may not even require rain tires. 

A cold front is still on track to cross the area on Saturday, which will bring a better chance of rain. The best chance of rain appears be mainly in the late afternoon and evening hours, although I can't completely rule out a shower at any time. The amount of rain still does not look especially heavy, and will most likely be in the range of a tenth ot a quarter inch. Still, there is some potential for up to a half inch through the afternoon and evening if multiple heavy showers pass over the raceway. I think this is unlikely though, and the race should be able to continue through any rain showers.