By: Harris Cooley

As we head over to Saudi Arabia for the next race on the circuit, we can expect very similar conditions to last week in Bahrain. This being ample sunshine during the day with mild temps for practice sessions with moderate to gusty sustained wind speeds throughout the weekend. A large High pressure system looms over Saudi Arabia with a generally tight pressure gradient driving these winds over the Red Sea. The flow will remain northeasterly through the weekend, though speeds will decrease a bit by Sunday.

The race will be at night again which will eliminate any solar influence on tire degradation for Sunday. The High will also keep moisture levels very low throughout the weekend, so favorable conditions are likely for race day. The wind speed is the main meteorological factor in regard to affecting grip around the track and aerodynamics. It will be interesting to see how the drivers handle these conditions in only the second race with the new cars. A metric graphic is pasted below...

by Scott Martin.

​Hold on to those hats today at Texas Motor Speedway for the NTT IndyCar Series. Skies will be sunny with mild temperatures, but winds may gust up to 30+ mph at times.

By: Stephen McCoy

Moving in the rest of the weekend at the 12 Hours of Sebring, expect initial conditions on Friday similar to those on Thursday: relatively warm with the potential for fog as sunrise. In addition, conditions will be mostly clear to partly cloudy, with cloud cover mainly in the lower levels. Conditions will continue like this until the late afternoon to evening. A surface low pressure system located over the lower plains will move eastward through the weekend, with its warm front passing through central Florida Friday afternoon. Warm, moist air behind the front will help drive instability in the region, resulting in a chance for scattered showers/thunderstorms.

Rainfall chances will decrease overnight, though with the added moisture over the region, fog may again be present during the morning. Conditions will also start mostly clear to partly cloudy, mainly in the lower levels, though as the aforementioned low pressure system's cold front approaches from the west, cloud cover will increase into the afternoon and evening, especially in the mid-to-upper levels.

Saturday will be a brilliant day at Texas Motor Speedway. Plenty of sunshine and nice temperatures will greet you at the track. We're looking at the 50s for the first practice session during the late morning, then rising into the upper 60s for qualifying during the early afternoon, and topping out in the lower 70s for the final practice at the end of the afternoon. Winds will mainly be out of the south at 5-10 mph. Chance of rain is 0%.

There may be a couple stray clouds floating across the sky on Sunday for the race, but the biggest difference that you will notice is the increase in wind speeds. Skies will be mainly sunny, with temperatures starting off in the mid 60s at the green flag and topping out in the mid 70s by the end of the race. Winds will be mainly out of the south at 15-20 mph, with potential gusts up to 30 mph at times. Once again, rain chances will be 0%.

By: Harris Cooley

We are finally back for the 2022 Formula One race season, and I could not be more excited! There have been a few changes to the regulations within the league that should make for yet another exciting season. We kick off the season in Bahrain where a High pressure to the west of the region will keep things sunny and cool throughout the weekend. Northwesterly winds will be moderate to strong on Friday and decrease steadily leading up to race day.

The practice sessions will be during the day which could have an effect on the tires and cooling of the engines as there will be little cloud coverage. The wind will likely cause drivers to struggle for balance a bit more than usual as well. The qualifying round and the race are both at night though, so the sun will not play a role in track temperatures at this time. Overall, the weather is ripe for execution as these teams patiently wait to show off what they have done in the offseason. A metric graphic is shown below...

By: Stephen McCoy

After an iffy-looking Wednesday, we're expecting fairly pleasant conditions for the rest of the event weekend.

From the beginning of this week, a surface low pressure system is expected to form on the leeward side of the Rockies, over the Great Plains. Upper air winds will direct the surface system to the Southeast US on Tuesday, clipping the Gulf of Mexico before pushing Northeast towards the Atlantic on Wednesday. The central/northern Florida region will be on the northeast side of the low, likely along the warm front. Thunderstorm capability along the front will be fairly high, with CAPE values expected over 1000 J/kg during Wednesday afternoon. In fact, the NWS Storm Prediction Center has the area within a marginal chance for severe weather for both Tuesday and Wednesday, as seen in the maps below.

After the low and accompanying fronts move out of the region, winds will shift to the West, bringing increased moisture off the Gulf while cooling air temperatures slightly. This combination may lead to some fog during the morning on Thursday and Friday as the air becomes more saturated. Cloud cover will decrease as drier air moves in above the surface.

For the weekend, a low pressure system centered over the Great Lakes will have a cold front extending southward into the Southeast US, though it will be weaker than the front passing through mid-week. The front will bring warmer overnight temperatures as winds shift to the South/Southwest along with another slight chance for scattered showers during the afternoon.