By: Stephen McCoy

Compared to previous years, the forecast for the 24 Hours of Spa is relatively uneventful. Fairly mild temperatures will be present through the week with light winds and minimal cloud cover. A slight chance for showers is possible Thursday night into Friday, but dry conditions are expected for the remainder of the week.

Beginning Thursday, an area of high pressure will be centered over the British Isles, resulting in relatively stable conditions over the region. Light winds will be present from the east with partly cloudy conditions throughout the day. An area of low pressure at the surface will move eastward through central Europe on Friday, with the Benelux region being on the northern side of the system. Low level winds from the south will bring a slight increase of moisture to the area Thursday night, resulting in a slight chance for showers in the early morning on Friday. By the end of Friday, high pressure will build in again, causing stable conditions for the remainder of the weekend, much like those seen on Thursday.

By: Stephen McCoy

Not much change in the forecast since the initial post for the Kyalami 9 Hour. A cold front is still expected to move through the region on Friday, bringing a likely chance for showers and/or thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon and evening. In addition, winds will increase on Friday with some gusty conditions present as well, though stronger winds will move in behind the front on Saturday. Saturday will also see a drop in temperatures, with highs only in the low 70's F (low 20's C). Scattered showers may be present in the area on Saturday, though precipitation totals will be much less than from Friday.

By: Stephen McCoy

A pleasant, though fairly warm, Thursday will give way to cooler conditions later in the weekend with showers and/or thunderstorms expected for Friday and Saturday as a cold front passes through the region. Breezy/windy conditions will also accompany the front with strong gusts expected during Saturday.

For Thursday expect fairly stable conditions with winds from the North/Northwest bringing warm, continental air southward. The air will be somewhat dry, with dew point temperatures around 60 F (16 C), so heat index values should be relatively similar to air temperatures. Some low-to-mid level cloud cover may develop during the afternoon, but conditions will be largely pleasant through much of the day.

For Friday, conditions will look similar during the morning to Thursday, however a cold front approaching from the Southwest is expected to bring showers and/or thunderstorms to the region during the mid-to-late afternoon; expect slightly cooler maximum temperatures as winds will be from the East/Northeast ahead of the front. Once the front passes through, temperatures will fall to their coolest of the weekend, struggling to pass 70 F (21 C) on Saturday. Scattered showers will stick around through much of Saturday as saturated air moves in through the low and mid levels of the atmosphere; even without precipitation, expect overcast conditions to persist through much of the day.

By: Stephen McCoy

Conditions have remained mostly similar to those expected from Monday for the Spa 24 Hour. On Thursday and Friday, a surface low pressure system will pass to the north of the region, moving into Scandinavia in the latter  part of the weekend. Winds moving cyclonically around the low will bring in moisture from the southwest to the region, resulting in mostly cloudy to overcast skies. Both days will see a slight chance for isolated to scattered showers, particularly during Thursday morning and Friday afternoon. Chances for precipitation will increase during the weekend as a second low pressure system moves slowly towards the south of the region. Conditions will stay relatively consistent between Saturday and Sunday with a reprieve of cloud cover possible during Sunday morning; a few thunderstorms may develop alongside showers on Saturday afternoon.

By: Stephen McCoy

It seems that no matter what time of year the Spa 24 occurs, the weather stays much the same. This time, it's the result of two surface lows moving through the region one after the other to round out the week.

Through mid-week, a surface low pressure system will develop over the British Isles ahead of an upper level pressure trough. Into Thursday, the system will be centered over the North Sea, with winds over Belgium from the Southwest. Winds in the upper levels are expected from the same direction, with moisture mainly off the Atlantic resulting in mostly cloudy to overcast skies. A slight chance for isolated showers will be present, most likely int he morning when temperatures are at their coolest. The low will push to the Northeast into Friday, though winds will continue from the South/Southwest through the day, causing slightly warmer conditions than Thursday, but with an increased chance for precipitation, especially during the afternoon.

Late Thursday into early Friday, a second upper level shortwave trough will cause a surface low pressure system to develop over the Atlantic Ocean, which will approach mainland Europe late Friday into Saturday. The low will continue in an East-to-Northeasterly direction through the weekend, bringing a chance for showers and thunderstorms to the region as is passes by. Moisture wrapping around the low from the South will result in mostly cloudy to overcast conditions through much of Saturday with a slight reprieve Sunday morning. 

By: Stephen McCoy

Consistent late-spring conditions will be present for this weekend's race for the Kyalami 9 Hour. Low temperatures each day are expected in the upper teen's C, low 60's F, with afternoon high temperatures reaching the upper 20's C, low to mid 80's F. Pop up showers and thunderstorms are possible each day, especially in the afternoons, which may lead to cooler afternoon temperatures than predicted, depending on where the rain falls. Mostly clear to partly cloudy skies will be present during the mornings, but will give way to mostly cloudy conditions as storms begin firing off. Surface winds will stay mostly the same through the weekend, coming from the North during the mornings, then shifting to the Northwest during the afternoons.

By: Stephen McCoy

Much like was stated in the initial forecast, a trailing front from a surface low pressure system centered over Scandinavia will sit mostly stationary over the region on Thursday and into Friday. South to southwesterly winds along the frontal boundary will bring a likely chance for precipitation during the day, with some of the heaviest rainfall occurring in the later hours, near qualifying and/or the night practice session. Low level winds from the south to southwest will cause mostly cloudy to overcast conditions through much of the weekend.

A cold front extending from a low pressure system north of the British Isles is expected to move through the region on Friday, bringing another chance for showers ahead of it around mid-day. The front will weaken as it passes through, however low temperatures for Saturday morning are still expected to cool from Friday's, though not as severely as initially thought.

The weekend will round out with another cold front approaching the region from the west. Winds continuing from the south to southwest ahead of the front will bring slight chances for isolated showers on both Saturday and Sunday, though with lighter rainfall than seen earlier in the weekend. However, the front itself will bring heavier rainfall as it passes through Sunday, which could impact conditions in the final hours of the race, depending on the timing of the passage.

By: Stephen McCoy

It certainly won't be the conditions that the teams are typically used to for the 24 Hours of Spa. Temperatures for the weekend are looking to be in the upper 50's °F, or low teen's °C with chances for showers during the practice and qualifying days before somewhat clearer conditions move in for the race.

On Wednesday, a surface low pressure system is expected to move northeastward through mainland Europe, bringing warmer temperatures, strong winds and a likely chance for precipitation to the region. Entering Thursday, the system will be located over Scandinavia, with a front trailing behind to the southwest. The front is expected to sit mostly stationary over the region during the day, resulting in a chance for precipitation along the boundary. South to southwesterly winds will cause temperatures to be relatively consistent through the day, with a high only a few degrees warmer than the morning low. In addition, conditions will be mostly cloudy to overcast in the low levels through the day. The stationary front will move eastward out of the region overnight Friday, however a cold front from a low pressure system north of the British Isles will move into the region Friday afternoon, bringing a chance for scattered showers. South to southwesterly winds continuing overnight will keep temperatures relatively consistent with Thursday before the cold front passes and cools temperatures into Saturday.

After Friday's cold front passage, drier and slightly cooler conditions will move in for the 24 hour. Winds will shift towards the south to southeast for the race as another cold front begins a lengthy approach towards the region, passing through late Sunday or early Monday. Current model output is mixed on the passage time, though an earlier passage could mean heavier cloud cover for the race ahead of the front, with a later passage resulting in clearer conditions. An earlier frontal passage could also bring a slight chance for isolated showers, however for now there isn't enough to definitively say if rainfall will occur.