By Doug Schneider
Click on the forecast images to enlarge
Click on the forecast images to enlarge
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Not much has changed with the expected weather pattern at Sebring this weekend. Thursday and Friday continue to look great, with plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures each afternoon.
Saturday continues to be a concern for impactful weather at the track. A cold front approaching from the north will interact with a warm and unstable air mass across the Florida Peninsula, leading to showers and thunderstorms in the area during the afternoon.
Timing continues to be very uncertain, as the arrival time of rain is different in the models by several hours. The earliest arrival time looks to be between noon and 2 pm. However, I think the most likely time for showers to begin at the track will be between 2 pm and 5 pm. There could be multiple rounds of showers, so I expect that rain and possibly some thunderstorms could remain around the area into the evening hours.
The main impact with these storms will be lightning. It will be important for fans to have a place to seek shelter when thunder is heard. I expect that lightning will result in a stoppage of the race at some point for the safety of the corner marshals and the cameramen on towers. Another possible impact will be winds, which could become gusty when the storms move in, so campers will need to secure loose objects, especially tents and canopies. Finally, a brief heavy downpour will be possible. I expect the total rainfall amount through the end of the race to be between a quarter and a half inch, but it could come down quite heavily at times.
Saturday continues to be a concern for impactful weather at the track. A cold front approaching from the north will interact with a warm and unstable air mass across the Florida Peninsula, leading to showers and thunderstorms in the area during the afternoon.
Timing continues to be very uncertain, as the arrival time of rain is different in the models by several hours. The earliest arrival time looks to be between noon and 2 pm. However, I think the most likely time for showers to begin at the track will be between 2 pm and 5 pm. There could be multiple rounds of showers, so I expect that rain and possibly some thunderstorms could remain around the area into the evening hours.
The main impact with these storms will be lightning. It will be important for fans to have a place to seek shelter when thunder is heard. I expect that lightning will result in a stoppage of the race at some point for the safety of the corner marshals and the cameramen on towers. Another possible impact will be winds, which could become gusty when the storms move in, so campers will need to secure loose objects, especially tents and canopies. Finally, a brief heavy downpour will be possible. I expect the total rainfall amount through the end of the race to be between a quarter and a half inch, but it could come down quite heavily at times.
