When I did my first graphic for Road America on Monday morning, it looked like it would be a mainly dry weekend at the track. Now, both of the trusty long range models have a surface low that will move through the upper Mid-West and Great Lakes Region that will bring the potential for showers and some thunder to the Elkhart Lake area on Sunday.

For now, Thursday will be a mainly dry day with only a very small chance of a shower during the afternoon and early evening hours, with rain chances picking up after on-track activity has concluded for the day. Rain will be likely during the late-night hours on Thursday night and will continue through the pre-dawn hours on Friday. While much of the activity will have ended by the time the gates open on Friday morning, we'll continue to have a very small chance of a stray shower or two through the afternoon hours. The good news is that rain chances during on-track times on both days will only be 20%.

While Saturday will be a near-perfect day for races at "America's National Park of Speed," Sunday will be an "iffy" day weather-wise as a surface low will be approaching the area. The European forecast model has shower and storm activity moving into the area during the mid to late afternoon hours, while the GFS model has the activity arriving earlier during the late morning hours. To be on the safe side, I went with the shower and thunderstorm potential to start during the late morning hours and through the remainder of the day. As long as there is no lightning close to the track, that means we may have to see the world's greatest drivers try to conquer the course in the wet. Rain chances for now is set at 40%. We can get a better idea on the rainfall potential once the higher-resolution models come into view by Friday morning.

By: Harris Cooley

We are in for a beautiful but windy weekend at the Paul Ricard this weekend. It's going to be hot and humid being right on the coast along with increasingly strong wind gusts for the afternoons. An increased Low pressure gradient in NW France will be dipping down south and increasing wind speeds in conjunction with a much smaller Low circulation east of the area in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Our main areas of concern come with the increased wind gusts as this could cause some grip issues around the track. Especially with how close the competition is amongst the teams and drivers, we will see these teams giving it their all out on the track. Other than the wind, it should be a clear weekend with hot track temps so everything should be in order for a great race weekend! I will continue to monitor the severity of these wind gusts and Low pressures in the area so stay tuned. A metric graphic is displayed below.

By: Stephen McCoy

We didn't quite see the showers that might've been expected today, largely due to approaching cold front beginning to break up as it reached the Great Lakes, but we'll still see an area of high pressure beginning to move in on Sunday. Surface winds will shift towards the north/northeast with somewhat breezy conditions. Cloud cover will be in the low-to-mid levels during the morning, clearing around mid-day, and slightly increasing through the afternoon. A few isolated showers may be possible during the morning, but overall conditions should have minimal impact for the on-track sessions.

By: Stephen McCoy

The forecast from Monday remains mostly the same, with a bit more clarity in conditions. Temperatures will remain mostly stable through the weekend, in the upper 60's for lows and in the mid 80's for highs. Scattered showers may develop Friday afternoon, though Saturday's chances look more likely as a cold front moves through the region; these showers may last into Sunday morning, but no precipitation is expected afterwards.

On Friday, a surface high pressure system will be centered over northern Canada, causing winds in western Michigan from the east/northeast through the day. A low pressure system to the south will result in partly cloudy conditions in the upper levels of the atmosphere during the morning, with lower clouds building in from the north/northwest in the afternoon. Scattered showers may develop in central Michigan during the afternoon and could reach Detroit thanks to mid-level winds from the northwest.

On Saturday, a cold front will approach the region from the west as a surface low pressure system tracks northeastward from the northern Great Plains into Canada. Ahead of the front, winds will shift to the south/southwest, bringing increased moisture to the region. As a result, scattered showers and/or thunderstorms may develop, especially in the late afternoon to evening. Much like on Friday, partly cloudy conditions will be expected in the morning, with lower cloud cover building in the afternoon, now due to the approaching front.

After the frontal passage overnight Saturday into Sunday, winds will shift to the northwest, with increased wind speeds and gusty conditions expected. Clouds over the region will begin clearing, with mostly sunny to full clear skies anticipated for much of the day. A slight chance for isolated showers is present during the morning, still associated with the front, but otherwise, no precipitation is expected.

By: Stephen McCoy

Near-summertime conditions will be present for this weekend's races at Belle Isle. We'll see consistent temperatures all three days with lows in upper 60's and highs in the low-to-mid 80's; chances for isolated to scattered showers will also persist through the weekend.

Friday's conditions are expected to begin mostly cloudy, mainly in the upper levels, due to a low pressure system to the southeast. Meanwhile, an area of high pressure will be centered to the north, causing surface winds from the east/northeast. As a result, slightly cooler temperatures will move in, with the cooler air undercutting the already-present warm air. This may allow for the development of showers and/or thunderstorms in the region, especially as temperatures reach their highest in the afternoon. As the aforementioned low moves eastward, cloud cover will begin diminishing.

An approaching cold front from the west will pass through the region Saturday in the evening to overnight. Beforehand, winds will be largely from the south/southeast with temperatures mostly consistent with those on Friday. The front will bring with it a slight chance for isolated to scattered showers and/or thunderstorms in the late afternoon to evening. For Sunday, temperatures are expected to continue from earlier in the weekend with winds from the west to northwest; some stronger gusts may be possible, especially in the afternoon. With the front having passed over, conditions will be partly cloudy to mostly clear through much of the day.

By: Harris Cooley

No changes to the forecast here as it will be beautiful weather for the race tomorrow. High wind gusts are expected throughout the day with partial cloud coverage as a low pressure to the east of the site is sweeping northerly winds over the Caspian Sea. This could cause some unexpected issues for drivers on this tricky Baku City Circuit. We are in for a great race regardless! A metric graphic is displayed below... 

By: Harris Cooley

The forecast is holding true for this weekend to have some great weather. We will likely see sunny skies with occasional wind gusts along with moderate temperatures. Sunday poses a slightly cloudier and windier day than Saturday as northerly winds pick up in the Caspian Sea. A low pressure to the east of the area is tightening the pressure gradient and therefore causing increased winds. This is the main threat to the teams as Baku is challenging enough as it is.

Teams will have to make a decision on whether they want to prepare their cars for straight-away's or cornering on this track, so the high wind speeds will not make it ideal. This will be the warmest race since week 1 though, so we will likely see these cars having more grip around the track than the last few weeks. Overall, we are expecting nice weather for another fantastic Formula 1 race! A metric graphic is displayed below... 

By Scott Martin

Friday will start off with mostly cloudy skies with a higher chance of showers and thunderstorms, especially during the mid-morning hours. The good news is that rain chances will begin to decrease throughout the remainder of the day once we reach the late morning hours. Skies will become partly cloudy during the afternoon and there will remain a smaller chance of a passing shower or storm. The temperature will start off around 65 degrees at 7 am and warm up to around 82 degrees for the daytime high. Winds will be mostly out of the southwest at 2-6 mph. Rain chances will start off around 60% and will drop to around 30% by the end of on-track activity. Dewpoints will be in the 64-67 degree range.

Saturday and Sunday will be a much different story weather-wise as we'll have plenty of sunshine and a good bit of warmth. Temperatures will start off around 64 on Saturday at 7 am and warm up to around 86 degrees. There will be very little wind and the direction will be variable, mainly out of the west and south at times. Sunday will be warmer as the daytime high will make it up to around 88 degrees with winds out of the south to southwest at 2-6 mph. Dewpoints on Saturday will be in the 63-67 degree range, and in the 65-69 degree range on Sunday.

Be sure to have plenty of fluids to drink as the heat index on Sunday will get to 90 degrees or just over. Also be sure to wear sunscreen (and reapply every couple of hours), hats, and shades.