Pocono Raceway Weather Forecast: Can NASCAR Avoid a Rain Out?

The question everyone wants to know, “Will we be racing Sunday or will it be Monday?” Rain is definitely a threat and I don’t think there are a lot of windows, I hope I am wrong and we see a full race with perfect weather but here is why I am not real confident that we get a full race in on Sunday.

Attached you will find print outs from two computer models I use when I put together a weather forecast. Model #1 is more aggressive with the rain as you can see more of the darker shades which indicated heavier and steadier rain for Sunday afternoon around 2pm.

Model #2 doesn’t have heavy rain but it is still not what you want to see as you go into the afternoon. I can tell you that both of these models keep rain around eastern Pennsylvania until evening.

After looking over the date and reviewing radar data from overnight I think we have at best a 40% chance of getting a whole race in. The problem with rain Sunday morning into Sunday afternoon is it will come in small waves and timing these waves are tough.

Eastern Pennsylvania is in a warm moist airmass thanks to a passing warm from Saturday night, this provides enough “juice” for storms and showers to form and keep them from dying out. Also a cold front is expected to cross the area late Sunday afternoon and evening. This boundary could spark showers and storms out ahead of the front.

I can’t and won’t tell someone whether or not they should or shouldn’t go to a race. My job is to give people the best information so they can make the decision that is right for them. I will say this, if you go tomorrow be prepared for rain at some point and also know that the race could be delayed, postpone or shorten.

SUNDAY:
9:00 a.m EDT
Truck Race – Showers and storms likely - temp: 72
1:00 p.m EDT
Sprint Cup Race – Mostly cloudy, possible shower or storm - temp: 78

MONDAY: (Just in case the race is postponed or moved to the next day)
12:00 p.m EDT
Possible Sprint Cup Race – Partly Sunny, isolated threat of showers, looks mostly dry - temp: 78

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