By Doug Schneider
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The forecast looks much better for Petit Le Mans today. The forecast track of Ian has shifted to the east, which will mean less of an impact on Road Atlanta. Another positive aspect of this forecast update is that most of the rain will fall on Friday night, with less impacts during the scheduled on-track times.
Here's the NWS forecast rainfall along the path of Ian through Sunday morning:
Here's the NWS forecast rainfall along the path of Ian through Sunday morning:
Road Atlanta is on the edge of the white and light green area. I expect that 1 inch of rain could be a high end amount, but the most likely rain amount will be around a half inch. This is much less than expected a few days ago when Ian was forecast to track directly across Georgia.
Rain showers are expected to move into the area Friday afternoon, and increase in frequency through the evening. The WeatherTech qualifying session has the potential to have a shower, but I expect it to be light enough to allow the session to be held. Friday night won't be great for campers as rain picks up. Showers will continue to be on and off through Saturday morning, which could impact the morning warm up session. But the frequency and intensity of showers will be falling through the day, and I think all 10 hours of the race can be held without major disruption.
With the track of Ian being farther to the east, wind will not be as much of an impact. It will be breezy every day, with sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph, gusting between 30 and 35 mph at times. Objects will need to be secured to keep them from blowing around, but I don't think this should be a safety issue for campers.
Rain showers are expected to move into the area Friday afternoon, and increase in frequency through the evening. The WeatherTech qualifying session has the potential to have a shower, but I expect it to be light enough to allow the session to be held. Friday night won't be great for campers as rain picks up. Showers will continue to be on and off through Saturday morning, which could impact the morning warm up session. But the frequency and intensity of showers will be falling through the day, and I think all 10 hours of the race can be held without major disruption.
With the track of Ian being farther to the east, wind will not be as much of an impact. It will be breezy every day, with sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph, gusting between 30 and 35 mph at times. Objects will need to be secured to keep them from blowing around, but I don't think this should be a safety issue for campers.
