Forecast is still looking to be fantastic for Friday and Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park for the Honda Indy Grand Prix, but Sunday still looks to be a wet day.

Friday's Weather
Friday will be an absolutely beautiful day out at Barber Motorsports Park as there will be plenty of sunshine with mild temperatures. The day will start off in the lower 40s, but will make it into the upper 60s to just at 70 degrees for the high. We'll have a cool breeze out of the north to northwest at 4-8 MPH throughout the day. Even though the temperatures will be cool, don't let your guard down with the sun. Be sure to bring your hats, shades, and plenty of sunscreen.

Saturday's Weather
Another beautiful day at the track with plenty of sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures. Temperatures will start off in the mid-40s at daybreak and top out in the mid-70s for the daytime high. There will be a few clouds floating overhead, but skies will remain mostly sunny throughout the day. Winds will be out of the east to southeast at 4-8 MPH.

Race Day: Sunday's Weather
Long range models (GFS and European) are still in disagreement on the arrival of the rain and thunderstorms at the track for Sunday.

The GFS has the rain arriving during the morning hours and persisting through much of the daylight hours, some of which could be heavy at times. This model run is also continuing to paint rainfall totals in the 1-2 inch range around the track. Rain tires will be necessary, but if it is this heavy, there may be a postponement until Monday.

The European is much different with the timing, and will make most race fans happy. As of this latest run, rain and storms will hold off until very late in the afternoon or early in the evening. We very well could have some rain activity before the end of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, which will put the best racing drivers in the world to the test. The heavier rain and storms move in after sunset with this model run.

At this point, temperatures are trending much cooler than what I have been forecasting so far, with morning lows starting off in the mid-50s and the daytime high only reaching the mid-60s. Due to the uncertainty in the forecast for Sunday, I'm still going with 50% rain chance.

I'll continue to fine tune this forecast, and within 24 hours, the NAM will come into time frame for Sunday. With that model, I can get a lot better idea on what could possibly take place.

If you read this forecast and much of it sounds familiar... it's because it's the same as yesterday. Really, no changes expected for Friday and Saturday are pretty close to the same. The changes will be for Sunday, as forecast models are very different on arrival times of showers and storms.

We’ll be on the backside of a trough that will be retreating eastward on Friday, and high pressure will be off to our north sending a flow of dry continental air into Central Alabama. We’ll have a great supply of sunshine with winds out of the north at 2-7 MPH. The afternoon high will top out in the mid-70s after starting off rater chilly in the lower 50s at 8:00 AM.

Clouds will be slowly increasing throughout the day on Saturday as our pattern starts to flow out of the southwest. We’ll start to have more humid air move into the area as our flow comes in from the Gulf of Mexico. We’ll have partly to mostly cloudy skies and the afternoon high will top out in the mid-70s. We’ll stay dry throughout the on-track activities, but a few scattered showers may be possible by sunset. Odds for any rain before the end of the day is really low at 1-in-10. Winds will be out of the southeast at 2-9 MPH.

As of now, we are getting mixed signals from both of the long-range models, leaving the forecast for Sunday as a low-confidence forecast. The GFS is painting the heaviest storms affecting the track during the morning hours through the late afternoon, with a few lingering showers on the backside of the system throughout the remainder of the evening. The European model keeps the heavier precipitation out of the area until well after the event is over, but a few sprinkles or light showers are possible during the afternoon. The good news is that both models are keeping everything below severe limits at this point for the track, but this is prime severe weather season in Central Alabama, so we’ll keep an eye out on any developments. Skies will be cloudy when its not raining, and the afternoon high will be in the lower 70s. GFS rainfall amounts could top 1 inch before the end of the day, but if the European model is the right, amounts will be around 0.1 inches. I’ll go with 50/50 odds for rain for now, but timing and odds will be fine-tuned throughout the week when models come into better agreement and the high-resolution models come into range.

I'll be at the track representing my daytime job with AlabamaWx.com, but I'll be sporting my Racecast Weather ball cap. I'll be the only one there with one on... it's one of a kind. I'll have my Macbook in tow and may even be on Indycar Radio again this year. We'll see how it goes.

My favorite time of the year has arrived as the Verizon Indycar Series, along with the IMSA Prototype Challenge Series, Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, and the Mazda Global MX-5 Cup Series pays a visit to my home track... Barber Motorsports Park. Friday and Saturday looks great, but there is a good chance that we may have delays on Sunday as storms look to be a good possibility.

We'll be on the backside of a trough that will be retreating eastward on Friday, and high pressure will be off to our north sending a flow of dry continental air into Central Alabama. We'll have a great supply of sunshine with winds out of the north at 2-7 MPH. The afternoon high will top out in the mid-70s after starting off rater chilly in the lower 50s at 8:00 AM.

Clouds will be slowly increasing throughout the day on Saturday as our pattern starts to flow out of the southwest. We'll start to have more humid air move into the area as our flow comes in from the Gulf of Mexico. We'll have partly to mostly cloudy skies and the afternoon high will top out in the mid-70s. We'll stay dry throughout the on-track activities, but a few scattered showers may be possible by sunset. Odds for any rain before the end of the day is really low at 1-in-10. Winds will be out of the southeast at 2-9 MPH.

At this point, both long range models are showing rain and thunderstorms affecting the area throughout the day on Sunday at the track. The GFS is painting the heaviest storms affecting the track during the morning hours up until 1:00 PM, with a few lingering showers on the backside of the system throughout the remainder of the day. The European model is a little slower with the storms moving in, but they do move in during the late morning and persist through the afternoon and evening hours. The good news is that both models are keeping storms below severe limits at this point for the track, but this is prime severe weather season in Central Alabama, so we'll keep an eye out on any developments. Skies will be cloudy when its not raining, and the afternoon high will be in the lower 70s. Rainfall amounts could top 2 inches before the end of the day. Odds for rain at any point of the day is 50/50 for now, but timing and odds will be fine-tuned throughout the week.

Of course, I'll be at the track representing my daytime job with AlabamaWx.com, but I'll be sporting my Racecast Weather ball cap. I'll be the only one there with one on... it's one of a kind.

Today will be a warm and fantastic day at the track with mostly sunny skies a little breezy with winds out of the southeast at 8-15 MPH. The temperature at 8:00 AM started off at 67 degrees and will warm into the mid-80s for the afternoon high. No rain expected today.

The good news is that rain is looking less likely during on track times on Sunday, but storms are expected to roll in during the late afternoon hours and into the evening. We'll have more clouds than sun with a very small chance of a passing shower before the early afternoon, then ramping up slightly after that. A few scattered thunderstorms are possible starting in the mid-afternoon hours and throughout the remainder of the daylight hours. Afternoon high will be in the mid-80s after temperatures start off in the upper 70 at 8:00 AM. Winds will be out of the south at 10-20 MPH, gusting up to 25 MPH at times. Rain chances start off at 20% until the early afternoon, then up to 40% after that.

STAY WEATHER AWARE ON SUNDAY... The Storm Prediction Center continues to have the Florida Peninsula in a risk for severe weather, but the good news is that the speedway will be in a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) for severe storms. On my Thursday evening update, SPC had the area in a Slight Risk (level 2 of 5). The main threat will be from damaging winds. The good news is that any stronger to severe storms will hold off until the late afternoon and into the evening, but we do have to watch any storms that form earlier in the afternoon. If any alert is issued and announced by the track, seek shelter immediately.

Radar is up and running on the site. I'll have updates throughout the day on Sunday.

Friday will be a nice and breezy day in southern Florida, with only a few clouds to filter out the sun at times. No rain is expected on this mostly clear day, and temperatures will warm into the lower 80s for the afternoon high, after starting off the morning in the lower 70s at 8:00 AM. Winds will be out of the east at 5-15 MPH, with gust up to 22 MPH possible at times.

Saturday's weather looks to be a lot better than first forecast on Tuesday... the cold front continues to lag back to the west and much of the day will actually be pretty decent and warm. We'll have more sun than clouds throughout the day, but there will be enough available moisture and instability for a very small chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm. Temperatures at 8:00 AM will start off in the lower 70s but will top out in the mid-80s for the afternoon high. Winds will steadily increase throughout the day, starting off at 5-10 MPH out of the southeast, and up to 15-20 MPH with gusts up to 25 MPH likely by afternoon. Chance of rain at this point is only 20%.

Rain and storms, some of which could be strong to severe, are likely on Sunday. As you can see in the image above, the Storm Prediction Center has all of the Atlantic Coast from Virginia down to the southern tip of Florida in a risk for severe storms for Sunday. The good news is that it looks like the main bulk of the storms will hold off until after racing is completed for the day. The bad news is that there is still a decent chance of rain and storms before that. The latest NAM-12k model run actually keeps the main line of storms out of the area until after nightfall, but a few scattered convective showers and storms could form out ahead of the line as conditions will be prime for storms. As of now, I'm going with a 30% chance of rain before 2:00 PM, then increasing to 50% after that as the more lift will be added to the atmosphere with the line getting closer. By 7:00 PM, rain and storms will be likely. Afternoon highs will be in the mid-80s. Winds will be gusty at 15-25 MPH out of the southeast, with gusts up to 35 MPH possible. STAY WEATHER AWARE. I'll have radar going by Saturday morning.