By Doug Schneider

Today will be a beautiful day at Sebring to take in qualifying and the CTSC race. High pressure will be stretching from just off the North Carolina coast across northern Florida, providing plenty of sunshine all day. Temperatures will be pretty chilly to start the day, only around 40 degrees at sunrise. It will warm up quickly however, and reach the mid 70s by this afternoon. The high pressure ridge won't move very much, just shifting slightly southward, so dry and sunny weather will continue through Saturday too. Highs will be getting warmer, reaching near 80 degrees. By the end of the race Saturday night, temperatures will drop to around 60 degrees, with an overnight low in the lower 50s. 

By Doug Schneider

The weather continues to look ideal for racing during the 12 Hours of Sebring weekend. Today's forecast update looks very similar to the forecast I posted on Sunday, and my confidence that the event will be dry remains high. Sebring has been known to have some pretty crazy weather in the past - either monsoon downpours or extreme heat and humidity - but that will not be the case this year. 

Wednesday will be a little breezy as a cold front exits and high pressure builds in from the north. The north wind will also keep temperatures quite cool, only reaching the mid to upper 60s. Sunshine will prevail through the rest of the event, with a gradual warming trend each day. Daytime humidity levels will be very comfortable as well, as the air mass associated with the high pressure area will be very dry. Because of the dry air, overnight low temperatures will be quite chilly for those who are camping, with lows expected to be in the 40s each morning. 

By Scott Martin - @RaceWx4You

As you can see by the graphic above, there is a lot of green on the spreadsheet. That means that I was able to correctly forecast the weather conditions with a degree or two, and correctly forecast the rain chances. As for the temperatures on Saturday that were so far off, this time I believe I can blame underperforming forecast models. Both forecast models that I used underestimated the warm air that was able to flow in ahead of the approaching system on Sunday. With a combination of mostly clear skies, temperatures made it into the mid 80s. But I feel good about that because nearly every other trusted weather source that I compare my forecast to also had temperatures at least 5 degrees cooler as well. No one thought it would be 80 degrees or warmer.

I think most people would agree that the yellow showing up for Sunday's rain chances is a great thing. I had a gut feeling throughout the week we would have some rain at or around St. Petersburg on Sunday, but I thought at least some drops would fall. The racing action was able to compete with dry conditions, and fans didn't have to worry about how to stay dry. Good news is that the showers all developed well inland over the Florida Peninsula, and had no worries at all about rain approaching.

I believe most would agree with me that this forecast went pretty well. I am okay with missing the precipitation forecast for Sunday because of the uncertainty to where showers would develop. I don't feel too bad about the temperature miss for Saturday, because everyone missed it due to underperforming models. I will always strive to be better with every forecast that I do, not only with Racecast Weather, but in my day job as well. It's almost impossible to have a perfect forecast, but that is what we try to do.

By Doug Schneider

The weather looks like it will be absolutely perfect for racing at Sebring late this week - much better than last year's rain-affected race. Not only will it be dry the entire event, the temperatures will be very comfortable during the day, with low humidity. It will be a little chilly overnight for those camping out, with overnight lows in the 40s. 

By Scott Martin - @RaceWx4You

A weak short wave impulse along with an additional low-level moisture flow into the area should allow for a few scattered showers to form at or near the event, mainly during the afternoon hours. Cloud cover will increase throughout the day, and temperatures will be held back a few degrees from where they topped out on Saturday. 8AM temperatures will start off near 70 degrees and only rise into the mid to upper 70s.

I'm keeping rain chances at 30%, and I believe that the rain will hold off until after the races have completed. If any rain does fall, it will only amount to less than 1/10th of an inch. Lightning will not be an issue as there will not be enough instability to support that. Just have an umbrella handy if one of these showers do move over the event. If rain does occur, I still believe that there will be only a small impact, and maybe not enough for rain tires. I'm hoping for that, and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that the rain stays away.

Radar will be fired up and going on our website and on the St. Petersburg Event Page on the Pirelli World Challenge website. Just click on the link beneath our logo. I'll also have updates throughout the day on our @RacecastWx Twitter feed and my personal feed as well.

By Scott Martin - @RaceWx4You

Saturday's forecast looks to be absolutely beautiful in St. Petersburg for the Verizon Indycar Series and Pirelli World Challenge action. Skies will be mostly clear to sunny throughout the daytime hours, so you will definitely need shades, a hat, and a good supply of sunscreen. Winds will mainly be out of the east-northeast at 6-12 MPH. Temperatures will start off in the upper 60s at 8AM, and warm to near 80 degrees for the afternoon high. Couldn't ask for a better day.

A frontal boundary will be setting up over the Florida Peninsula during the day on Sunday, and this will be bringing a slight risk for a passing shower during the day, mainly after lunchtime. Skies will be mostly cloudy and temperatures will be continued mild. Best chances for rain will be north of St. Petersburg, but I cannot completely rule out a stray shower or two making that far south. Once again, temperatures will start off in the upper 60s at 8AM, and warm to upper 70s for the afternoon high. Winds will start off out of the east-southeast at 4-8 MPH, then shifting out of the west by early afternoon. The chance of rain as of now sits at 30%, mainly during the afternoon hours. If any rain does fall, totals will only be 1/10th of an inch or less.

Radar will be fired up and going on our website and on the St. Petersburg Event Page on the Pirelli World Challenge website. Just click on the link beneath our logo. I'll also have updates throughout the weekend on our @RacecastWx Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.

Friday and Saturday continue to look like great days for on track activities in St. Petersburg. Mostly sunny skies are expected on both days, and afternoon temperatures will be mild. After the 8AM temperatures start off in the mid to upper 60s, afternoon highs will top out in the mid to upper 70s, with Saturday being the warmer of the two days. Winds on Friday will begin out of the NNW at 5-10 MPH, but shifting out of the WNW by the late morning. Winds on Saturday will be out of the NE at 6-12 MPH.

Sunday will be the questionable day of the event weekend. A cold front is still expected to move across the area, weaken, and stall just to the south of St. Pete. There will be enough instability that a few showers could form at some point throughout the day, but I still believe it will be late in the afternoon if it does happen. If it does rain, amounts will be light, less than 1/10th of an inch. Otherwise, skies will be mostly cloudy and temperatures will still be rather mild. Highs will reach the mid 70s, after starting off in the upper 60s at 8AM. Winds will start off out of the ESE at 5-10 MPH, but shifting out of the W by the early afternoon.

Radar will be fired up and going on our website and on the St. Petersburg Event Page on the Pirelli World Challenge website. Just click on the link beneath our logo. I'll also have updates throughout the weekend on our @RacecastWx Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.

I am continuing to hold true with my forecast from Tuesday, except I have bumped the temperatures up by a degree or two for daytime highs.

Thursday through Saturday continue to be forecasted as absolutely wonderful days to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Verizon Indycar Series and the Pirelli World Challenge on the streets of St. Petersburg. Skies will be mostly sunny throughout these three days with very mild afternoon temperatures. 8AM temperatures will be in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees, with afternoon highs reaching the upper 70s to near 80 degrees. Winds will be out of the northwest at 5-10 for Thursday, out of the west-northwest at 5-10 on Friday, and swinging around out of the north at 2-8 MPH for Saturday. There will be no rain expected for these three days.

A cold front is still expected to move across the St. Petersburg area on Sunday, and this will be more clouds across the area, along with slightly cooler temperatures and a very small risk of a passing shower. The front will weaken and stall out, but will have enough instability for the possibility of a few showers to form. If any rain does fall, I believe it will be later in the afternoon, and amounts will be less that 1/10th of an inch. Otherwise, skies will be mostly cloudy, and winds will be out of the north-northwest at 5-10 MPH. 8AM temperatures will be in the mid 60s, and afternoon highs will make it into the mid 70s.

Radar will be fired up and going on our website and on the St. Petersburg Event Page on the Pirelli World Challenge website. Just click on the link beneath our logo. I'll also have updates throughout the rest of the week and weekend on our @RacecastWx Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.

The race weekend is almost here, so be sure to get your fantasy racing league picks in at your favorite websites. Also, be sure to share your pics with us. Just use #RacecastWx.