By Doug Schneider

Overall, the weather looks great for racing as GT World Challenge visits VIR this weekend.

An upper levels disturbance will be dropping southeast out of the central Appalachian region on Friday, and this may spark some afternoon shower and thunderstorms across the Blue Ridge. Some of the storms could get close to VIR, but the chance of having one pass over the track is low, only about 20%. If a storm does pass over the track, the main impact will be lightning, and it should pass through quickly. 

A cold front moves through the area Friday night, and high pressure will build in from the north. This will provide very nice conditions for Saturday and Sunday. Although temperatures will be warm both days, with highs in the mid to upper 80s, the morning lows will be fairly cool, in the upper 50s. Humidity levels will be relatively comfortable too, considering it's June in southern Virginia, as the afternoon dewpoint temperatures will drop into the low 50s on Saturday, and the mid to upper 50s on Sunday. 

By Doug Schneider

The timing of a cold front has shifted  with the latest forecast update, bringing a good chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day on Saturday. In my previous forecast, I mentioned that the timing of the front and associated showers looked to be Saturday night, but the models are now showing an earlier timing. So there could be some impacts on the racing on Saturday, mainly during the afternoon. Lightning will be the main threat, but there could some some heavy downpours for a brief period. 

Sunday still looks like a beautiful day for racing, with mostly sunny and breezy conditions and comfortable temperatures.

By Doug Schneider

The weather looks good for Round 2 of the GT World Challenge America season at NOLA Motorsports Park. Friday will be mostly sunny and warm as teams hit the track. On Saturday, expect mostly sunny skies to star the day, with cloud increasing through the afternoon. A cold front will be approaching the area, and is expected to pass through the area Saturday night. There is a small chance of showers with the front, but at this time, it looks like a very small chance that would occur overnight, with no impacts to the action. Behind the front on Sunday, it will be cooler and breezy, with a northwest wind between 10 and 20 mph, gusting between 25 and 30 mph at times.

It's been a pleasure to complete another year of bringing you weather forecasts for your favorite racing series. 2023 will be the ninth year that Scott and I have been running this site, and we are thankful to have Stephen and Harris join us to expand our efforts and keep it going strong. We truly appreciate all our followers who share in our loves of weather and racing. 

Without further ado, here are the best photos from 2022 that combine our two favorite things - weather and racing! ​Hope you enjoy these photos from some excellent photographers. Have a happy New Year, and we'll see you in 2023!

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 Scott Martin

A cold front will be working through the area on Friday that will bring a moderate chance of showers during the morning hours, and with the heating of the day, more showers and a few thunderstorms are expected to develop. Unfortunately, those higher rain chances look to come during the Downtown Speedway Parade. Skies will be mostly cloudy to overcast where there is no rain. Temperatures will start off in the lower 60s at the start of the day and will warm to just shy of 70 degrees for the daytime high. Winds will be out of the southeast to southwest at 5-10 mph. Chance of rain increases from 40% to 60%.

The cold front with the associated surface low will be slightly just to the east of Indiana on Saturday morning that will keep clouds and a small chance of a passing shower in the forecast during the morning hours. Once we get into the afternoon, skies will become mostly clear as clouds will be diminishing and rain chances dissipate. However, winds will be breezy out of the northwest, averaging 5-15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph at times. Temperatures will be cool throughout the day, starting off in the mid-50s and only rising into the upper 50s for the high. Chance of rain is around 30% to start, with chances decreasing throughout the morning.

Sunday will be a much brighter day at IMS as skies will be mainly sunny, but temperatures will remain on the cool side. A little breeze will make those temperatures feel even cooler at times as winds will be averaging 5-10 mph out of the west with the potential for gusts up to 20 mph. Temperatures will start off in the upper 40s when the gates open and will only climb into the lower 60s for the daytime high.

By: Stephen McCoy

Conditions for this weekend at Watkins Glen have remained mostly as expected, with a shift of precipitation from Friday to Saturday. A surface low pressure system located off the Atlantic coast will cause winds to be largely from the south to southeast on Friday, bringing moisture off the ocean and resulting in mostly cloudy to overcast conditions. The increased moisture may also cause a slight chance for isolated showers in the region, especially in the afternoon. On Saturday, a cold front extending south from a surface low located over Canada is expected to move through the region, bringing a higher chance for precipitation during the afternoon. Winds behind the front will shift to the west to northwest, cooling temperatures into Sunday with cloud cover decreasing through the day as drier air moves in.

By: Stephen McCoy

Mixed conditions will start the event off on Friday and will improve as the weekend progresses.

Around mid-week, a low pressure system will move eastwards over Canada to the north of the region. This system will bring a cold front through the area with a high percentage of rainfall and a drop in temperatures expected Wednesday into Thursday. A second low will take a similar route as the first during the early part of the weekend with its warm front moving northward through New England Thursday into Friday morning. This will allow temperatures to warm again into the upper 70's, which will remain largely consistent through the next few days. Of note: the National Hurricane Center has identified a disturbance in the Atlantic which has a 50% chance to develop into a tropical system within the next 5 days. Current model guidance suggests the system will curve along the east coast before moving out into the northern Atlantic. This has been brought up as its location at the beginning of the weekend will bring moisture from the Atlantic to the region, resulting in a chance for scattered showers through the day, especially during the afternoon. As mentioned, conditions will improve for the remainder of the weekend as the low and potential tropical system move further eastward. Winds shifting to the west/northwest on Sunday will bring slightly cooler temperatures and clearer conditions. Saturated air at the surface and a temperature inversion just above the surface will result in a potential for fog for both Saturday and Sunday morning.