By Doug Schneider
*** Post updated Monday morning 1/23 ***
The weather for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona looks really good, about as good as you could hope for, with only scattered light showers expected on Thursday. Temperatures might be the main weather story, as it will be getting quite cool for the races Friday through Sunday.
The weather for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona looks really good, about as good as you could hope for, with only scattered light showers expected on Thursday. Temperatures might be the main weather story, as it will be getting quite cool for the races Friday through Sunday.
Over the past few days, the models have been in fairly good agreement on the general weather pattern, so my confidence in this forecast is high. There were some timing uncertainties about the timing of the cold frontal passage, but today, there is good agreement that it will occur on Thursday.
There's a strong low pressure system moving across the Southeast today, which will bring a threat of severe thunderstorms to northern Florida this afternoon and evening. But by Wednesday, high pressure will be centered off the east coast of Florida, and will be providing beautiful weather as teams load into the track. Sunny skies and warm temperatures in the mid 70s can be expected on Wednesday.
A cold front will move across the area on Thursday, which may bring some showers to Daytona. However, these showers appear likely to be very light, as moisture in the atmosphere is limited and the upper level forcing and instability to provide lift will be weak. Rainfall amounts are likely to be less than a tenth of an inch, if a shower happens to cross over the track. I don't think there will even be enough rain to have an impact on practice and qualifying sessions that day. It's a little early to pin down the timing of showers very precisely (if they even happen at all), but as of now, the most likely period is in the late morning to early afternoon.
Behind the cold front, temperatures will be getting much cooler, and will remain quite cool for the weekend. The average high for Daytona for this time of year is 70 degrees, with the average low being 47. So the expected temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees below normal. Winds will shift to the north by Friday, and remain from that direction through the weekend as high pressure will be located across the Southern Plains region. Clouds will be increasing on Saturday, and a mix of sun and clouds will continue into Sunday. Some models today are pointing toward some small rain chances on Sunday, so I’ll be keeping an eye on this as we get closer to the weekend.
It's time to go racing!
There's a strong low pressure system moving across the Southeast today, which will bring a threat of severe thunderstorms to northern Florida this afternoon and evening. But by Wednesday, high pressure will be centered off the east coast of Florida, and will be providing beautiful weather as teams load into the track. Sunny skies and warm temperatures in the mid 70s can be expected on Wednesday.
A cold front will move across the area on Thursday, which may bring some showers to Daytona. However, these showers appear likely to be very light, as moisture in the atmosphere is limited and the upper level forcing and instability to provide lift will be weak. Rainfall amounts are likely to be less than a tenth of an inch, if a shower happens to cross over the track. I don't think there will even be enough rain to have an impact on practice and qualifying sessions that day. It's a little early to pin down the timing of showers very precisely (if they even happen at all), but as of now, the most likely period is in the late morning to early afternoon.
Behind the cold front, temperatures will be getting much cooler, and will remain quite cool for the weekend. The average high for Daytona for this time of year is 70 degrees, with the average low being 47. So the expected temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees below normal. Winds will shift to the north by Friday, and remain from that direction through the weekend as high pressure will be located across the Southern Plains region. Clouds will be increasing on Saturday, and a mix of sun and clouds will continue into Sunday. Some models today are pointing toward some small rain chances on Sunday, so I’ll be keeping an eye on this as we get closer to the weekend.
It's time to go racing!
