By Doug Schneider

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An approaching cold front will bring showers and thunderstorms to CTMP on Friday afternoon. The likely time frame for showers on Friday starts at 2 pm, but the majority of showers are expected to occur in the evening, after the end of on-track activity. 

The front will push through on Friday night, and rain will be gone by the time on-track activity starts on Saturday morning. As high pressure builds over the area, Saturday will be a beautiful day with mostly sunny skies and highs in the upper 70s F, or mid 20s C. Sunday looks much the same. Should be a great weekend to attend the race. 

By Doug Schneider
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Sometimes making a forecast graphic is difficult to properly reflect what I think the weather will be. This graphic looks like there will be more rain at CTMP this weekend than I expect there to be, due to the uncertain timing of rain associated with a cold front.

A cold front will be moving across the upper Great Lakes on Friday. Showers and thunderstorms along and ahead of the front may be in the Lake Ontario area late Friday afternoon or evening. The final session on Friday is MPC qualifying from 5 pm to 5:45 pm, and it will be close as to whether it is affected by these storms. Right now, I'm putting the chance of rain before 5:45 pm at 30%. I think the bulk of rain will hold off until later in the evening or Friday night.

How quickly the front moves through on Friday night will affect the chance of rain on Saturday morning. I have a 20% chance of showers in the forecast for Saturday morning to account for the models that are slower with the front. However, it is possible that the rain with the front may be gone by the time the WeatherTech Championship practice starts at 8 am. Temperatures will be cooler on Saturday, with highs in the upper 70s.

Sunday looks like a beautiful day for racing. Drier air builds in behind the front, and I expect mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70s for the WeatherTech Championship race in the afternoon. 

By Doug Schneider

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The main change to today's forecast update is to add a small chance of showers on Thursday afternoon. Yesterday, I mentioned that showers and thunderstorms are likely on Wednesday night. That is still expected, but the low pressure system is trending slower, which will keep some moisture and instability over the Finger Lakes area into Thursday afternoon. I do not expect that this will be a heavy rain, and I don't expect lightning either, so impacts should be low. But since there are practice sessions on Thursday, and amount of rain may lead to a stoppage. 

High pressure builds over the area on Thursday night, and will shift east through Friday and Saturday. This will provide nice weather with plenty of sunshine and a warming trend to temperatures as a southerly flow develops. 

The high pressure ridge weakens on Sunday, and a cold front will approach from the west. The timing of this front still looks like it will be moving through on Sunday night. However, I can't rule out some isolated showers and thunderstorms popping up in the afternoon, ahead of the front. So I will keep the 20% chance of rain in the forecast, but I still think that most of the rain will arrive after the race ends, and impacts on the race are low. 

By Doug Schneider

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I'm happy to report that the weather looks great for this year's edition of the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen. The slight chance of rain on Sunday is uncertain, and it could hold off until after the race is over. More on that below.

On Wednesday and Wednesday night, there will be numerous showers and thunderstorms in the Finger Lakes region of New York as a cold front moves across the area. These showers should be gone by the time practice sessions start on Thursday morning. Temperatures will be very nice on Thursday, with highs in the mid 70s and comfortable humidity levels. 

Through Friday and Saturday, a large high pressure ridge will be moving across the region from west to east. This will provide mostly sunny skies both days, with temperatures warming into the lower to mid 80s as a southerly flow develops on the west side of the high. 

Sunday is the day with the most uncertainty, as there will be increasing instability and a low pressure trough approaching from the west. The question is the timing of this system - will showers hold off until after the race ends around 4:40 pm EDT? As of today, I think the most likely scenario is that the rain arrives after the race ends, so I have just a 20% chance in the forecast. This could change as we go through the week, so check back here for updates. 

By Doug Schneider

Every year around Le Mans, I always hear the phrase, "It always rains at Le Mans". Well, this year will be the exception. There are some isolated showers around the track on Wednesday, but dry weather is expected for the rest of the event. Every day will be mostly sunny, with comfortable temperatures and light winds as a large high pressure system extends over northern France. It doesn't get any better than this for weather at Le Mans.

The changes to this forecast from my previous forecast were pretty minor, with only small downward changes to temperatures, and the slight chance of rain Sunday has been removed. 

By Doug Schneider

The weather looks great for this year's edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

A cold front will be moving through northern France on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, which will result in showers around Le Mans. Most of these showers will occur in the morning, with conditions improving through the day. If some showers do linger later in the day, I expect that they will be light and impacts will be minimal. 

Behind the front, high pressure will build over northern France and provide nice weather through Saturday at least. Temperatures will be very comfortable, with a warming trend through the week. 

The high pressure ridge weakens a little on Sunday, which may allow for a few showers to develop on Sunday, mainly in the afternoon. This is still a way out, so there is still some uncertainty about the rain chance, but it appears to be low at this time, with no significant impacts expected.

Check back for updates through the week. 

By Doug Schneider

The main changes to the Mid-Ohio forecast are to raise the chance of rain a little bit on Saturday, and to lower the chance of rain on Sunday. 

Friday continues to look like a beautiful day at the track, with high pressure over the area providing sunny skies and high temperatures in the lower 80s. 

Cloud cover will increase on Saturday, mainly in the afternoon as daytime heating creates some instability. With this instability will come some pop-up showers and thunderstorms. Coverage is expected to be scattered, so they could miss the track entirely. If a shower or storm does pass over the track, it should be short-lived, and the impact should be low. 

A cold front will approach the area on Saturday night, and this is the period that has the highest chance of rain. Fortunately, there won't be any on-track activity during this time, although campers should be prepared to get wet. 

The cold front should move through the area on Sunday morning. This is faster than the previous forecast, which is why I have lowered the chance of rain on Sunday. Still, some scattered showers and thunderstorms could linger through the morning, depending on the exact timing of the frontal passage. Like Saturday, I think any showers should be short-lived with low impacts on the race. 

By Doug Schneider

The weather will start off nice at Mid-Ohio for IMSA weekend, but rain chances will be increasing and peak on Sunday. 

A large high pressure ridge will provide nice and warm weather for Ohio through this week, including Friday. However, by Saturday this ridge will shift east of the area, and moisture will be increasing with a southerly flow and greater instability. On Saturday afternoon, there will be some pop-up showers and thunderstorms in the area. I think the chance of one hitting the track is about 30%. Most of the activity should stay dry, but be prepared for a shower. 

On Sunday, a cold front and upper trough will be approaching from the west. Showers and storms are likely to be more numerous, and thus are more likely to impact the racing action. As we get closer to Sunday, I can give more details on timing and rain amounts. But as of today, I can say that rain is likely at some point during the day.

Check back through the week for updates.