By Scott Martin.
Can you believe that the racing season finally kicks into full gear with the Verizon Indycar Series and the Pirelli World Challenge returning to action this upcoming weekend in St. Petersburg. I also return to forecasting weather after a long off-season. It sure feels good to dip my toes back into doing race weather. So, with no more waiting, here is the forecast for St. Pete!
THURSDAY
The day will be a really nice in the St. Petersburg area. A high pressure system will be moving across the southeastern United States and out into the Atlantic, and this will keep any shower activity associated with a surface front to the south of the street course. Skies look to be mostly sunny and a nice little breeze out of the northeast at 5-10 MPH. Temperatures will start off in the upper 60s in the morning, with afternoon highs topping out in the upper 70s.
The day will be a really nice in the St. Petersburg area. A high pressure system will be moving across the southeastern United States and out into the Atlantic, and this will keep any shower activity associated with a surface front to the south of the street course. Skies look to be mostly sunny and a nice little breeze out of the northeast at 5-10 MPH. Temperatures will start off in the upper 60s in the morning, with afternoon highs topping out in the upper 70s.
FRIDAY
High pressure ridging will be the main weather feature across the northern Florida Peninsula, and nice weather can be expected once again for the area. Skies will once again be mostly sunny, with temperatures similar to Thursday’s. 8AM temps will be in the upper 60s, with the afternoon highs in the upper 70s. Winds will start off out of the east-southeast at 5-10 in the morning, but will eventually shift out of the southwest by the afternoon at 5-10 MPH with the development of the sea breeze.
High pressure ridging will be the main weather feature across the northern Florida Peninsula, and nice weather can be expected once again for the area. Skies will once again be mostly sunny, with temperatures similar to Thursday’s. 8AM temps will be in the upper 60s, with the afternoon highs in the upper 70s. Winds will start off out of the east-southeast at 5-10 in the morning, but will eventually shift out of the southwest by the afternoon at 5-10 MPH with the development of the sea breeze.
SATURDAY
Very similar weather again for Saturday. The ridging will have moved the east, but St. Petersburg will still be on the western side of it, allowing for temperatures to be a few degrees above average for this time of the year. Mostly sunny skies can be expected once again, and a sea breeze will kick in causing a shift to the winds during the late morning to the afternoon. Morning temperatures will start off in the upper 60s, and afternoon highs will top out once again in the upper 70s. Winds will start off out of the southeast at 5-10 MPH, but shifting out of the southwest by late in the afternoon at 5-10 MPH.
Very similar weather again for Saturday. The ridging will have moved the east, but St. Petersburg will still be on the western side of it, allowing for temperatures to be a few degrees above average for this time of the year. Mostly sunny skies can be expected once again, and a sea breeze will kick in causing a shift to the winds during the late morning to the afternoon. Morning temperatures will start off in the upper 60s, and afternoon highs will top out once again in the upper 70s. Winds will start off out of the southeast at 5-10 MPH, but shifting out of the southwest by late in the afternoon at 5-10 MPH.
SUNDAY
As of right now, I believe Sunday will remain dry, but the situation will be a little different than the previous three days. The ridging as now moved far enough off to the east, and this may allow for a few sea breeze convective showers to form during the late afternoon hours. Looking at the global models, a few scattered showers are possible, but the odds are very low as of now. Skies will start off mostly clear, but will become mostly cloudy by the early afternoon. 8AM temperatures will be in the upper 60s, with afternoon highs in the upper 70s. Winds will start off out of the southeast at 5-15 MPH, but shifting out of the southwest by late in the afternoon at 5-15 MPH. Rain chances will only be around 20%.
As of right now, I believe Sunday will remain dry, but the situation will be a little different than the previous three days. The ridging as now moved far enough off to the east, and this may allow for a few sea breeze convective showers to form during the late afternoon hours. Looking at the global models, a few scattered showers are possible, but the odds are very low as of now. Skies will start off mostly clear, but will become mostly cloudy by the early afternoon. 8AM temperatures will be in the upper 60s, with afternoon highs in the upper 70s. Winds will start off out of the southeast at 5-15 MPH, but shifting out of the southwest by late in the afternoon at 5-15 MPH. Rain chances will only be around 20%.
So, the overall weather story will be... Nice weather throughout the event, with mostly clear skies and nice temperatures. A nice breeze to keep you comfortable through each day, and the only gear that you will need is sunscreen and sunglasses. Skies will become cloudy and there may be a very small risk of a passing shower late in the afternoon on Sunday, but I believe we'll stay dry throughout the entire event weekend. Morning temperatures will start out in the upper 60s, and warming into the upper 70s for daytime highs. The chance for rain on Sunday is only 20%. Have a great race weekend, and be sure to share your pictures with us on Twitter at @RacecastWx. We'll also have live radar running on our website and on World-Challenge.com.
