By Doug Schneider - @Race4caster
The forecast for Detroit this week has been a moving target, but the pattern is starting to come into better focus as we get closer to the weekend. There are still some uncertainties about the timing of rain chances at Belle Isle, but the latest data point toward a better weekend for racing than previously indicated.
Friday looks like a nice day at the track, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid 70s. A cold front will be pushing south toward Belle Isle on Friday, but it isn't expected to move across the area until Friday night. The front will have very little moisture to work with, so there may not be any rain with it when it moves through.
High pressure will be building over the area on Saturday, and the front will be to the south of Detroit, across northern Ohio. Most of the day will be very nice, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid 70s. However, as a low pressure system approaches from the west, a southerly flow will develop, spreading greater moisture into the area and pushing the front back to the north. While I think the majority of the rain with this will come after Saturday's racing ends, there is some uncertainty about timing, so I have just a 20% chance of rain late in the day, but with very low impact on the IndyCar race at 3:30 pm. No impact is expected for the Trans Am and IMSA races that will be held earlier in the day.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely on Saturday night into Sunday morning as low pressure track east across Michigan, but the big question is, when will it end? There is a lot of uncertainty about this, but what I can say is that conditions should be improving through the day. The most likely sessions to be impacted by rain will be IndyCar qualifying and Trans Am Race 2. It is possible that there could be enough rain to cause some delays to these sessions, depending on how well water drains off the track.There will still be a chance of rain through the afternoon, but the chance will be lower than in the morning. I'd put the chance of rain in the morning at 60%, but closer to 40% in the afternoon. The Stadium Super Trucks and IndyCar Race 2 will probably have a wet track to deal with, but I don't think the conditions at that time will be bad enough to cause major delays or cancellations.
We'll have our live radar feed going through the weekend - just use the Radar link at the top of the website. I'm going on a beach vacation with my family this weekend, so my weather updates on Twitter will be limited, but Scott (@RaceWx4You) will help to keep you informed of the latest weather conditions at Belle Isle.
The forecast graphics for IMSA and Trans Am (Impact level differs based on the timing of races and expected rainfall):
Friday looks like a nice day at the track, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid 70s. A cold front will be pushing south toward Belle Isle on Friday, but it isn't expected to move across the area until Friday night. The front will have very little moisture to work with, so there may not be any rain with it when it moves through.
High pressure will be building over the area on Saturday, and the front will be to the south of Detroit, across northern Ohio. Most of the day will be very nice, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid 70s. However, as a low pressure system approaches from the west, a southerly flow will develop, spreading greater moisture into the area and pushing the front back to the north. While I think the majority of the rain with this will come after Saturday's racing ends, there is some uncertainty about timing, so I have just a 20% chance of rain late in the day, but with very low impact on the IndyCar race at 3:30 pm. No impact is expected for the Trans Am and IMSA races that will be held earlier in the day.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely on Saturday night into Sunday morning as low pressure track east across Michigan, but the big question is, when will it end? There is a lot of uncertainty about this, but what I can say is that conditions should be improving through the day. The most likely sessions to be impacted by rain will be IndyCar qualifying and Trans Am Race 2. It is possible that there could be enough rain to cause some delays to these sessions, depending on how well water drains off the track.There will still be a chance of rain through the afternoon, but the chance will be lower than in the morning. I'd put the chance of rain in the morning at 60%, but closer to 40% in the afternoon. The Stadium Super Trucks and IndyCar Race 2 will probably have a wet track to deal with, but I don't think the conditions at that time will be bad enough to cause major delays or cancellations.
We'll have our live radar feed going through the weekend - just use the Radar link at the top of the website. I'm going on a beach vacation with my family this weekend, so my weather updates on Twitter will be limited, but Scott (@RaceWx4You) will help to keep you informed of the latest weather conditions at Belle Isle.
The forecast graphics for IMSA and Trans Am (Impact level differs based on the timing of races and expected rainfall):
