By Doug Schneider
There are a few changes to the forecast for the NASA Eastern States Championships at VIR today. I've added a chance of rain Friday evening. The reason for this is that one model (the NAM) is showing an upper level disturbance moving south across Virginia Friday night, and this could spark some showers and thunderstorms ahead of it as it. However, the good news is that the timing looks like any rain would arrive after 5:30 pm, which is the scheduled time to complete the on-track activities on Friday. The only event on the schedule that might be impacted is the Toyo Tires Karting Shootout at 6:30 pm. Right now, the potential timing window for thunderstorms looks to be between 7 pm and midnight. Another important note is that there is not agreement among the models on this disturbance, so there may not be any rain at all, which is why I only have a 30% chance mentioned for now.
For Saturday and Sunday, high pressure over New England will extend south across Virginia and North Carolina, bringing some cooler and less humid air to the track. A northeast flow off the ocean will bring some shallow moisture to the area, so there will probably be more clouds than sun on Saturday, which will keep temperatures in the lower 80s. A little more sun can be expected for Sunday, with highs in the mid 80s and comfortable humidity levels.
For Saturday and Sunday, high pressure over New England will extend south across Virginia and North Carolina, bringing some cooler and less humid air to the track. A northeast flow off the ocean will bring some shallow moisture to the area, so there will probably be more clouds than sun on Saturday, which will keep temperatures in the lower 80s. A little more sun can be expected for Sunday, with highs in the mid 80s and comfortable humidity levels.
