Friday will be a nice and breezy day in southern Florida, with only a few clouds to filter out the sun at times. No rain is expected on this mostly clear day, and temperatures will warm into the lower 80s for the afternoon high, after starting off the morning in the lower 70s at 8:00 AM. Winds will be out of the east at 5-15 MPH, with gust up to 22 MPH possible at times.

Saturday's weather looks to be a lot better than first forecast on Tuesday... the cold front continues to lag back to the west and much of the day will actually be pretty decent and warm. We'll have more sun than clouds throughout the day, but there will be enough available moisture and instability for a very small chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm. Temperatures at 8:00 AM will start off in the lower 70s but will top out in the mid-80s for the afternoon high. Winds will steadily increase throughout the day, starting off at 5-10 MPH out of the southeast, and up to 15-20 MPH with gusts up to 25 MPH likely by afternoon. Chance of rain at this point is only 20%.

Rain and storms, some of which could be strong to severe, are likely on Sunday. As you can see in the image above, the Storm Prediction Center has all of the Atlantic Coast from Virginia down to the southern tip of Florida in a risk for severe storms for Sunday. The good news is that it looks like the main bulk of the storms will hold off until after racing is completed for the day. The bad news is that there is still a decent chance of rain and storms before that. The latest NAM-12k model run actually keeps the main line of storms out of the area until after nightfall, but a few scattered convective showers and storms could form out ahead of the line as conditions will be prime for storms. As of now, I'm going with a 30% chance of rain before 2:00 PM, then increasing to 50% after that as the more lift will be added to the atmosphere with the line getting closer. By 7:00 PM, rain and storms will be likely. Afternoon highs will be in the mid-80s. Winds will be gusty at 15-25 MPH out of the southeast, with gusts up to 35 MPH possible. STAY WEATHER AWARE. I'll have radar going by Saturday morning.

By Doug Schneider

While Scott deals with a wet forecast for Trans Am's event at Homestead this weekend, I have a nice easy Southern California forecast for the Grand Prix of Long Beach. 

No big changes are needed from my previous forecast, just a few adjustments to temperatures. Perfect racing weather is expected each day, with highs in the 70s. Friday will be a little breezy, with a northwest wind at 10 to 15 mph, gusting to around 20 mph at times. Saturday will be the warmest day, with a high in the upper 70s, then temperatures fall down a little for Sunday as high clouds will start to spread across the area. 

I will be taking a short vacation Friday and Saturday, so I don't plan to have another update in that time, but I don't think the forecast will need any updates through the rest of the weekend. 

Looks like rain may be a big issue at some points during the race weekend for the Trans Am Championship
Presented by Pirelli at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Friday, at this point, looks to be the driest of the three days as skies will be mostly clear throughout the day with only a very small risk of a passing shower. Temperatures will start off mild, in the lower 70s, at 8AM and will warm into the mid 80s for the afternoon high. Winds will be breezy at times, averaging 10-15 MPH out of the east, with gusts up to 20 MPH possible. Chance of rain at this point is only 20%.

On Saturday, a cold front will be slowly moving through the southeastern states, and the warm air advection out ahead of that front will be the catalyst for higher rain and thunderstorm chances. The good news is that it should not be an all day rain, and any showers/storms that do form will be scattered in nature. Skies will be mostly sunny throughout the day, unless one of those showers form at or around the track. Temperatures will start off in the lower 70s at 8AM, and warm into the mid-80s by the afternoon. Winds will be breezy at times again, out of the southeast at 5-15 MPH, with gusts up to 20 MPH possible. Chance of rain at this point is 40%.

Sunday sees the front drawing even closer to the area, but not quite to the southern parts of the peninsula. Scattered showers and storms will be likely throughout the day out ahead of the front, but still not an all-day rain. The good news is that the front holds off in moving across the area until well after the raceday is complete. The bad news is that there will be enough instability in the atmosphere for showers and thunderstorms to form out ahead of the front and possibly affect parts of any of the races during the day. Lightning will probably be a big issue as well, so please stay weather aware. Skies will be mostly cloudy, and the chance of rain throughout the day is 70% as of now, and may actually rise later in the week... I'll keep an eye on the conditions. Winds will be gusty at times as well, averaging 12-18 MPH out of the southeast, with gusts up to 25 MPH possible. Highs will top out in the mid-80s, after temperatures start the day off in the mid-70s at 8AM.

By Doug Schneider

Beautiful Southern California weather is expected for the 2018 edition of the Grand Prix of Long Beach. 

A ridge of high pressure through the midlevels of the atmosphere will be building toward the west coast on Friday, then crossing California on Saturday, and be over the desert Southwest by Sunday. It will provide cloud-free skies on Friday and Saturday, then a few high clouds will start to arrive behind it on Sunday. Winds will be from a west or northwest direction at 10 to 15 mph each day.

You can probably tell I'm struggling for something to talk about with this weather pattern. This is one reason I'm glad I don't live in SoCal - the weather is too boring. I need a little more variety. But it sure is great for enjoying a race!

By Doug Schneider

Today's forecast for the Desert Diamond Phoenix Grand Prix hasn't changed a whole lot from what I forecast on Monday. There continues to be a high pressure ridge over the desert southwest region today, and it will be nearly stationary or drifting slightly to the east over the weekend. Some high clouds will be crossing the Phoenix area at times on Friday and Saturday, but no rain is expected from them. Areas to the north of Phoenix that are at higher elevations may see a sprinkle, but nothing is expected at the track, which is on the south side of the city. Temperatures will be warmer than normal, with highs each day in the lower 90s. The normal high for Phoenix this time of year is around 84 degrees.

The main weather impact on the race will be the wind. Southwest winds on Saturday will be between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts to around 25 mph at times. During the race, winds will remain in the 10 to 15 mph range, but it should be less gusty than during the day. Temperatures at the start of the race will be in around 90, falling to the mid 80s by the checkered flag.