After a cool start this morning, temperatures will make a nice recovery by the afternoon hours underneath sunny skies at Road Atlanta. At 8:00 AM, it was 40 degrees, so jackets may be needed until around noon, but we'll top out in the upper 60s for the daytime high. Winds will be shifting from out of the east to out of the south averaging around 3-8 MPH. A few clouds may form during the afternoon hours, but no where near enough to hamper any sunshine. Of course, with that being said, no rain.

We want to thank Lux Performance for becoming our forecast partners for the Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli for the 2018 season. Be sure to stop by their site at LuxPerformance.com and check out the latest on what they have going on.

If you would like to be a partner with Racecast Weather, please feel free to contact us through our contact page on our site. We have very affordable plans no matter what the size of your budget.

So it looked like that Mother Nature had different plans from what I had in my forecast during the on track activities on Thursday at Road Atlanta. Since the rain didn't start falling over Braselton until after 7:00 PM, my forecast was considered a bust. Official rainfall total for the area was 0.79" during the late night and overnight hours. I don't believe that will be the issue for today and Saturday.

Today has started off with temperatures in the mid-50s under mostly clear skies. Winds will be a little bit of an issue today, averaging 10-15 MPH and gusting as high as 25 MPH at times. Clouds will continue to decrease throughout the day, and afternoon highs will be in the mid-60s. No rain today.

Saturday will be an absolutely great day, but you'll definitely need a jacket during the morning. Temperatures will start off around 40 degrees at 8:00 AM but will quickly rise into the mid-60s underneath sunny skies. Winds will not be an issue, only averaging 3-6 MPH throughout the day. No rain is expected.

The forecast is looking so much better for now than what it looked like on Tuesday. We will still have a chance of showers and thunderstorms starting right after the noon hour, with showers and storms becoming likely by the early evening. The Storm Prediction Center has the area defined in a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) for severe storms throughout the day, with the main risks coming from damaging thunderstorm wind gusts up to 60 MPH. Temperatures at 8:00 AM started off in the upper 50s, and will climb into the lower 70s by this afternoon. Winds will be out of the south to southwest at 5-15 MPH, with gusts up to 20 MPH possible at times. Chance of rain will start off around 30% at the beginning of the afternoon and will rise to 60% by 5:00 PM.

NOTE TO TEAMS AND OFFICIALS:  Showers and storms will continue throughout the rest of Thursday evening through the early morning hours on Friday. A few storms could be strong to marginally severe, so please make sure you have everything secured before leaving the track. Damaging thunderstorm wind gusts up to 60 MPH is possible tonight and through the overnight hours. Rainfall amounts should total around 0.75" but higher amounts can be expected in heavier thunderstorms.

Good Friday will be a totally better day at Road Atlanta as showers will move out of the area before the late morning hours, and skies will begin to clear out during the day. There will be a very slight risk of scattered showers during the morning before the cars take to the track at 11:00 AM. Temperatures will start off in the mid-50s at 8:00 AM and will climb into the upper 60s for the day time high. Winds will be gusty at times due to the pressure gradient, averaging 10-15 MPH out of the northwest, with gusts up to 25 MPH possible. Chance of rain will be at 20% early, but completely diminishes by 11:00 AM.

A perfect day for racing at Road Atlanta can be expected on Saturday... Absolutely clear skies will bathe Braselton with bright sunshine throughout the entire event day. Temperatures start off rather chilly in the lower 40s at 8:00 AM but will steadily rise to the upper 60s by the afternoon hours. Winds will shift from the northeast to out of the south, averaging 3-7 MPH. No rain expected, so all you'll need is sunscreen, shades, and a hat.

Thursday and Friday’s weather will be less than desirable at the track as skies will be mainly cloudy with scattered to numerous showers and a few thunderstorms moving through the area. The good news is that Saturday’s weather will nearly be perfect for muscling those Trans Am beasts around Road Atlanta in full anger.

Thursday will start off with a chance of showers with temperatures in the upper 50s under mostly cloudy skies. Rain chances will be on the increase throughout the rest of the day, becoming likely mid-afternoon. Some thunder will be possible during the afternoon and early evening hours, so stay weather aware and move to shelter immediately after hearing thunder. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the parent storm to be struck by lightning. Winds will be breezy at times as well, averaging 5-15 MPH out of the south to southwest, with gusts up to 20 MPH possible at times. Afternoon highs will top out in the lower 70s. Chance of rain is around 60% at this point.

Friday will start off with a chance of scattered showers, but the good news is that the system will start moving out of the area by late afternoon to the early evening hours. Skies will begin to clear somewhat as well after the mid-afternoon hours, becoming partly cloudy. Temperatures will start off in the mid-50s at 8:00 AM and will top out in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees for the high. Chance of rain will start off at 40% then will start to decrease by mid-afternoon. Winds will breezy again, averaging 5-10 MPH out of the northwest with gusts up to 18 MPH possible at times.

Saturday morning will start off really cool with temperatures in the mid-40s at 8:00 AM, but under mainly sunny skies, the day will warm nicely. Afternoon highs will top out in the upper 60s. Winds will be shifting throughout the day, starting out of the north but will end up out of the south at 5-10 MPH by the end of the event. 0% chance of rain, and the only items required are shades and sunscreen.

We want to thank Lux Performance for becoming our forecast partners for the Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli for the 2018 season. Be sure to stop by their site at LuxPerformance.com and check out the latest on what they have going on.

If you would like to be a partner with Racecast Weather, please feel free to contact us through our contact page on our site. We have very affordable plans no matter what the size of your budget.

By Doug Schneider

Today at COTA will start with overcast clouds, but those clouds are expected to lift and break up somewhat in the afternoon, allowing for some sunshine to peek through. Overall, I'd call it a mostly cloudy day. There will be a south wind around 10 mph through the day, and temperatures will rise into the lower 80s. 

Sunday looks like it will be fairly similar to today, except perhaps a little warmer. Once again, the day will start with overcast clouds that will lift and break up a little in the afternoon. The slight chance of a shower or thunderstorms that I have mentioned is not expected to be a major factor in the racing. If there is a shower, it will probably come late in the afternoon, after the racing has ended for the day. So I think the chances of dry racing all day are very good. 

By Doug Schneider

The latest forecast update for PWC weekend at COTA still looks good for a dry event. The general pattern hasn't changed much since the first forecast from Monday, as an area of high pressure will be to the east of Texas through the weekend, providing a southerly flow in the Austin area that will keep temperatures pretty warm. Humidity levels will be increasing each day as the southerly flow persists and spreads moisture northward from the Gulf of Mexico. With this forecast, I have increased the cloud cover a little for Friday through Sunday, as I think each day will start with broken to overcast clouds. The morning clouds should lift and scatter, so there should be some sunshine each afternoon. By Sunday, there may be enough moisture and instability to allow some isolated thunderstorms to develop around central Texas, but the chance of one hitting the track remains low, just 20%. 

By Doug Schneider

Pirelli World Challenge holds its first Sprint X event at COTA this weekend, and overall, I think the weather will cooperate. There is some uncertainty this far out about the potential for showers and thunderstorms over the weekend, but as it stand today, they should remain isolated with a low chance of impacting the racing.

A high pressure system at the surface will be east of Texas on Thursday, producing a southerly wind between 10 and 20 mph. In the upper levels of the atmosphere, there will be a high pressure ridge that will provide stable conditions that will suppress the development of showers and storms. That pattern will continue into Friday.

On Saturday, the upper level ridge shifts to the east, and a low pressure system develops near the Rockies. A southerly wind will continue to provide warm temperatures each day, but the question is whether there will be enough lift in the atmosphere to allow storms to develop on Saturday and Sunday. With the upper level ridge moving away, and the low pressure system to the north tracking across Kansas, there is a chance of some storms to develop. If they were to occur, they would probably be in the afternoon and evening. 

Forecasting how storms will develop this far out is really difficult, so I don't have a lot of confidence in what will happen, but I will mention a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms both days because they are a possibility. Stay tuned through the week for updates.

Thanks to Joseph Bierschbach of Red Case Photography for providing the beautiful photo for our forecast graphic. 

By Doug Schneider

The weather continues to look great today at Sebring. Enjoy the race!