By Scott Martin

By: Harris Cooley

The forecast has cleared up for us heading into this weekend. Chances of rain have cleared out with higher pressures keeping wind speeds steady ranging from light to moderate. There could be some slightly gusty conditions over the next few days due to the High, but should not cause any drastic hinderances. Race day on Sunday presents very favorable conditions with hardly any cloud cover allowing for the cars tires' to retain their heat a little bit better. This has been an issue in the past races as Bahrain was very cool and windy and Imola was rainy, so these drivers have yet to compete in favorable conditions.

This should make for a great weekend to test out the new 'sprint' qualifying format that has been introduced. Many people are still split on whether they like this change or not, but we should get a good taste of what we can expect in the future with these conditions this weekend. I will continue to keep the forecast updated with any changes and a metric graphic is displayed below.

By: Stephen McCoy

Today's update brings a major shift in conditions from the initial forecast on Monday. The models from earlier in the week were indicating that an upper level trough, which is driving the current activity in the South Central US, would continue eastward into the southeast US and into the Atlantic to round out the week. However, in the following days, the models have trended towards a shortwave trough breaking off from the current longwave trough and centering itself over Texas/Mexico. The trough will extend into the lower levels of the atmosphere, where winds from the south/southwest will bring plenty of moisture to the region. The result is likely chances for rainfall, especially overnight Friday into Saturday.

Friday and Saturday will see cooler temperatures through the day after a cold front passes through the region on Thursday. Surface winds behind the front will largely be from the north on Friday, but will begin shifting to the east/northeast as an area of high pressure moves in over the Arklatex region. Low level winds from the east/southeast will bring in moisture off the Gulf, causing mostly cloudy to overcast skies through the day. These conditions are expected to persist into Saturday, along with an increased chance for precipitation.

A slight chance for lingering showers is possible Sunday morning, but as the upper level trough begins moving eastward, drier conditions will move in. Partly cloudy skies will be present for much of the day after sunrise with temperatures at their highest of the weekend due to surface winds largely from the south.

By Scott Martin

By: Stephen McCoy

After a bit of a wet period during the middle of the week, we can look forward to a warm, dry weekend in Austin.

A cold front is expected to move through the southern US Wednesday into Thursday, bringing with it a chance for thunderstorms, with some of them severe; the NWS Storm Prediction Center currently gives a Marginal Risk (category 1 of 5) for this time period. Behind the front, high pressure will begin to build at the surface from the west, with winds largely from the north for Friday. These winds will bring slightly cooler temperatures to the region compared to earlier in the week. With surface and low level winds from the same direction, some stronger gusts can be expected, most likely in the afternoon. Winds from the north in the mid-to-upper levels will bring in drier air, resulting in mostly sunny to clear conditions for the day.

As the surface high pressure moves over the southern US, winds will begin to shift from the north to the south/southeast, causing temperatures to begin warming for the remaining part of the weekend. Much like Friday, winds will be from the north in the upper levels on Saturday, though more southwesterly winds will set in for Sunday, causing a bit of upper level cloud cover during the day.

By: Harris Cooley

Calm conditions are expected for this weekend race in Portugal as weak, low pressures will be lingering through Sunday. We see a slight chance for showers Friday and Saturday afternoon before clearing out on Sunday. Temps will be mild with wind speeds being light in the morning and progressively gustier into the late afternoons. These gusts could reach up to 26 mph but are only expected to be sustained around 11 mph, so it will be interesting to see how these drivers' handle them.

We saw in the last race what even just a little bit of water on the track can do, so it will be quite a game-changer if we end up seeing some showers prior to the races start or even just throughout the weekend. These cool, cloudy conditions will require drivers' to keep their tyre temperatures up as well in order to gain maximum grip around the track. 

This F1 season is shaping up to be a competitive one just through two races, and we have no reason to believe why this race won't be as well. I will continue to watch the timing and likelihood of these showers and keep you all updated. A metric graphic is displayed below... 

By Doug Schneider

The approach of a cold front will bring a chance of showers and maybe a thunderstorm to the St. Pete area on race day. The question remains, when will the showers arrive? Different models are showing different timing. Some are as early as 6 am, while others keep showers in the area as late as 2 pm. One thing they have in common is that the showers will not last long, or be very heavy. I'm leaning my forecast toward the middle of the range of timing, so I think the window for showers will be between 8 am and noon. This could affect the morning warm-up session. The race is scheduled to start at 12:30, so it is certainly possible that the track could be wet at the start, or there could even be some lingering showers near the track at that time. 

You can use our live radar link at the top of the website to monitor the conditions Sunday morning.

By Doug Schneider

Good news with today's forecast update for the Firestone Grand Prix - the chance of rain on Sunday is dropping and moving earlier in the day, with no impacts expected to the racing during the day.

Friday and Saturday should be really nice days to take in some racing action. Friday will be mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80s, while Saturday will have a little more cloud cover but with highs still able to reach the mid 80s in the afternoon. Both days will be breezy, with a southeast to south wind at 10 to 20 mph, gusting to around 25 mph at times.

A cold front will be approaching the St. Pete area from the north on Saturday night, but it will be losing its punch as it moves southward. Rain showers along the front are expected to be decreasing as it moves south of the Florida Panhandle, so that by the time it reaches St. Pete, there may only be a few isolated light showers left. And if any showers can make it that far, they will probably be in the early morning hours, near sunrise. 

Bottom line, the weather looks great for racing!