Blog Homepage
Archive for May, 2010
Scattered Showers & Storms Monday
Posted ByHighs today will reach the low to mid 80s with spotty morning storms becoming more numerous for the afternoon and evening. We have warm moist air moving into the state from the south, and a cold front moving in from the west that will spark storms. Severe weather is not expected, but some storms will contain strong wind, heavy rain and small hail.
Overnight, showers and storms come to an end as temps drop to the mid 60s.
Tuesday, the air won’t feel as sticky, but the warmth stays in the forecast as highs hit the mid 80s.
Wednesday, more showers and storms are possible late in the day, continuing through Thursday with highs in the mid 80s.
We finally cool down to the mid 70s Friday, more more showers and storms enter the forecast Saturday.
Let’s go racing…no, wait
Posted ByAfter a fantastic-as-usual opening ceremony (national anthem audio issues notwithstanding), engines roared and the field took off.
Then stopped.
For the second year in a row, we had a crash before the honorary starter could shake hands, put the flag away and find some shade. Davey Hamilton spun and found the wall inside turn 2. So Jack Nicholson dropped the green again and we’re back at it.
It took a moment to get my bearings, as the ABC broadcast appears to be about a half lap behind the race outside my window here in the media center. As cars whizzed down the front stretch, they were approaching turn 3. Explains how I could watch the caution flag come out for the Hamilton crash.
Now, it’s Bruno Junqueira’s turn, also in Turn2. The speed demon of the second day of qualifying (and the sexy darkhorse pick because of that) is also out of the race. What a couple of years it’s been for Bruno at Indy.
So we’re down to 31 cars before my seat gets warm. I really hope this isn’t a trend, for the sake of the race.
—————
We’re through Lap 20 (though the average speed of the race is under 140 MPH, if that tells you about how many of those were actually under green) and lookie here… Tony Kanaan, who qualified with about 45 minutes left in Bump Day, then moved back to 33rd when he switched cars, is up to 16th. Now THAT would be a story.
————-
First pit stops hit around Lap 37. All the leaders, then just about everyone else pitted, then the course went yellow. Scary moment in the pits for Will Power as he took off with the fuel hose still attached.
Dario leads Graham Rahal, Power, Danica Patrick and Alex Lloyd under yellow at Lap 41, though I believe at least Rahal and Patrick still have to pit. (I was right. Danica pits and drops to 20th, Rahal only falls to sixth and Power had to come back into the pits and falls to eighth.)
———
Back to green. Lap 51 now and it’s an interesting mix in the top half of the pylon. Dario and Helio are still 1-2, but Rafa Matos is in third, with solid, no-frills, as expected Ed Carpenter and Townsend Bell are fifth and seventh, respectively.
Go back a bit and Tony Kanaan is still climbing and now has help. He’s 12th, immediately behind teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti, with another teammate John Andretti two spots behind. A good spot to be for Andretti Autosport to make some ground.
Will Power made a third trip through the pits moments ago and has fallen to 25th from his front row starting position and Bertrand Baguette and Hideki Mutoh have also lost several laps with issues.
Jinx! John Andretti is black flagged for a block of Dan Wheldon on the front stretch. He’ll drop to 25th, just ahead of Vitor Meira and Sebastian Saavedra.
———
Lap 69, chaos in the pits! Rafa Matos lost a left rear tire (the only one he has, in fact) and turned it into the pit wall. Everyone appears to be okay and Matos is back out on track. Scott Dixon braked hard to avoid Matos and appeared to kill the engine. He got pushed back to his pit box, re-fired and got back out, but not after a huge drop in position.
More significantly for Tony Kanaan fans, could this incident have shown Lady Luck is getting ready to reward TK for his patience? Matos (and his tire) were headed across pit row toward Kanaan’s car, but made hard left turns and the No. 11 car got through free and easy and into fourth place. Any other time in the last four years, I’m betting that tire gets TK. Is karma being funny for the funny Brazilian?
Back green on Lap 72.
Back to yellow on Lap 73.
Rafael Matos hit Turn 1 hard and backwards. Out of the car and appears to be walking fine.
———–
Vitor Meira became the latest crash victim around Lap 105, getting high in Turn 2 and smacking the wall. A sad end for Vitor, but remarkable that he was back in the field this year. An excellent recovery for Meira after crashing hard in last year’s 500.
Tomas Scheckter took over the lead during the caution, having pitted right before Meira’s crash, but Franchitti took it back on the first lap back green. Tony Kanaan has climbed to second.
———
More pit stops coing. Wilson, Scheckter and Kanaan are among the first in, out with no apparent issues. Marco Andretti takes over second behind Franchitti for the time being.
——
Team Penske had a horrible stretch around the Lap 146 mark. Starting with Helio Castroneves stalling his car in the pits, en route to a 20+ second stop, followed by a 13 or so second stop by Will Power, then topped off by Ryan Briscoe crashing hard and sliding down the front stretch.
Dario Franchitti has resumed the race lead, followed by Andretti Autosport teammates Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan. Tomas Scheckter and Townsend Bell round out the top 5 at Lap 152.
——-
Rookie Sebastian Saavedra crashed on Lap 162. Saavedra, who also ran the Indy Lights Freedom 100 on Friday, made the field while waiting for an MRI at Methodist Hospital last Sunday following a practice crash on Bump Day. He got in when Jay Howard and Paul Tracy discarded their times in an effort to qualify faster, but failed.
Mike Conway, Justin Wilson, Castroneves and Graham Rahal chose not to pit during the caution period and have taken over the top 4 spots.
One by one, those four peeled off for fuel, leaving Franchitti back in the lead, ahead of Kanaan and Wheldon, when Kanaan needed to pit, a spectacular final lap crash by Conway allowed Franchitti to cruise to victory.
Conway touched wheels with Ryan Hunter-Reay coming out of Turn 4, sending his No. 24 car flipping in the air and into the catch fence on the outside of the track. Hunter-Reay also hit the wall in the incident and finished 18th.
Franchitti became the 17th driver in Indy 500 history to win multiple races.
Past Indy 500 Weather Conditions
Posted ByToday we’ll hit the upper 80s with a 30% chance of scattered t-storms.
This is one if not the most important forecast of the year! Here’s what’s happened in the past.
The following is provided by the Indianapolis National Weather Service.
Indianapolis 500
Max Temp Min Temp Avg Daily Temp Precipitation Wind Speed
Warmest Warmest Warmest Wettest Highest
———————————————————————————-
1937 92 1929 73 1937 82.0 2004 3.80 1995 18.0
1953 91 1937 72 1929 81.0 1981 1.55 1956 16.3
1919 91 1919 71 1919 81.0 1996 1.08 1997 15.5
1978 90 1941 69 2006 78.5 1926 0.63 1955 14.3
1977 90 2006 68 1978 77.5 1976 0.56 1983 12.8
2006 89 1991 68 1977 77.5 1997 0.53 2004 12.5
1929 89 1970 68 1941 77.5 1957 0.49 1992 12.0
1934 88 1921 68 1921 77.5 2007 0.42 1991 12.0
1988 87 1982 67 1953 77.0 1950 0.34 2000 11.7
1972 87 1962 66 1913 76.5 1979 0.28 1984 11.6
1921 87 1956 66 1956 75.5 1960 0.26 1985 11.4
1913 87 1926 66 1972 75.0 1975 0.25 2001 11.2
1941 86 1914 66 1934 75.0 1931 0.25 1993 11.0
1995 85 1913 66 1914 75.0 1956 0.24 1970 10.9
1985 85 1978 65 1982 74.0 1962 0.17 1953 10.9
1980 85 1977 65 1975 74.0 1973 0.16 1981 10.8
1975 85 1959 65 1995 73.5 1995 0.15 1975 10.8
1956 85 1981 64 1999 73.0 1928 0.15 1998 10.5
1939 85 2007 63 1986 73.0 1940 0.14 1967 10.5
1999 84 2004 63 1962 73.0 1993 0.12 1962 10.5
Coldest Coldest Coldest Driest
———————————————————————————-
1992 58 1947 37 1947 50.0 Zero on many
1997 60 1966 40 1924 52.5 occasions
1930 62 1924 40 1992 53.0
1947 63 1961 42 1930 53.5
2003 65 1971 43 1966 54.0
1924 65 1989 45 1997 55.0
2001 66 1930 45 1955 56.0
1996 66 2002 46 2001 56.5
1973 66 1955 46 1961 57.0
1955 66 1936 46 1971 57.5
1968 67 2005 47 1964 57.5
2000 68 2001 47 1936 57.5
1984 68 1964 47 2003 58.0
1966 68 1952 47 1989 58.0
1964 68 1992 48 1973 58.0
1940 68 1974 49 1912 59.5
1915 68 1965 49 1968 60.0
1912 68 1949 49 1965 60.0
1936 69 1997 50 1940 60.0
1967 70 1973 50 1984 60.5
———————————————————————————-
1911-2009 1911-2009 1911-2009 1911-2009 1949-2009
AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE
MAX MIN TEMP PRECIP WINDS
77 56.5 66.8 0.15 IN South 8.9 MPH
Updated – August 25, 2009
Race Day Forecast & Work Week Preview
Posted ByGet ready for a hot and humid day at the track!
Highs today will reach the upper 80s with a 30% chance of pop up showers or storms. Severe storms are not expected. A pop up can happen any time this afternoon because we have moisture being pumped in from the south. We’ll just have to wait and see where convection develops.
Monday, a cold front moves through the state triggering a 60% chance for shower and thunderstorms. Highs for Memorial Day will reach the low 80s.
We dry out Tuesday, with highs in the low 80s, before another storm system eyes Central Indiana late Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll tap into an unsettled pattern with a chance of showers and t-storms through the weekend.
Holiday Weekend Forecast
Posted ByHighs today will reach the mid to upper 80s with mostly sunny skies. There’s a 20% chance of an isolated shower in extreme south central Indiana.
Overnight, skies clear and lows drop to the mid 60s.
Race day looks warm and muggy. Highs will reach the upper 80s. There’s 30% chance of an isolated shower. We’ll keep a close eye on the radar. Remember, you can get the latest weather information from 6am-noon on WTHR’s live coverage of Indy 500 morning.
Monday more showers and storms are likely with highs in the low 80s.
Tuesday and Wednesday we dry out with sunshine and highs in the low 80s.
Thursday another round of showers and storms comes our way.
After an overcast opening week at the Speedway, the weather was good for qualifying and now is downright beautiful for race weekend. The IZOD IndyCar series has a good vibe going, and the drama and excitement of the new qualifying format has given May an energy boost heading into the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500.
“It’s not my fault,” is the line of the month, uttered by a frustrated, slightly shaken Danica Patrick after the worst qualifying effort of her Indy career. She was right, but totally wrong to say it. When you play for a team, and you’re the quarterback, you simply can’t go public with the pointing finger. It makes you look bad. And Danica looked bad, and got booed. She knows it, and has somewhat apologized.
Anyone besides Helio Castroneves winning the race will be a mild upset. Anyone besides a Penske or Ganassi winning the race will be a major upset. I picked Scott Dixon at the start of the event. I’ll stick with him.
History will be made with 4 women in the race. It could have been 5. But the question of whether Milka Duno belongs on the track answered itself. She was too slow. I’ll take Simona De Silvestro to finish highest among the women and win rookie of the year honors as well.
The new qualifying format is a hit. The only change I would make is at the start of the Fast 9 Shootout, the cars should qualify in inverted order the first time through. Whoever runs the fast time in the first session goes last at 4:30 pm.
As for bump day, I hope teams learned this lesson: never voluntarily take yourself out of the Indy 500. Make someone bump you out. Paul Tracy and Jay Howard will be watching the Indy 500, even though both of their cars qualified quicker than bubble boy Sebastien Saavedra. Mario Romancini also withdrew and wound up requalifying as the fastest rookie. But Romancini could have waited to be bumped and then run a faster speed.
-Rich Nye, sports reporter
TheSportsGuy13 on Twitter
Friday Forecast & Weekend Preview
Posted ByHighs today will reach the low 80s with mostly sunny skies. There’s a chance for an isolated thunderstorm this afternoon. Most spots will stay dry as less humid air takes over.
Saturday, a spectacular day is in store. Highs in the mid 80s with mostly sunny skies.
Sunday, highs look to hit the mid to upper 80s with a 50% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. At this time the activity looks to be scattered and mainly south, but we’ll keep an eye on your race day forecast.
Expect a daily chance of rain early next week as temps cool off to the low 80s and later the upper 70s.
2010 Atlantic Hurricane Outlook
Posted ByThe following is an article that was released by NOAA. The original can be found here.
An “active to extremely active” hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center – a division of the National Weather Service. As with every hurricane season, this outlook underscores the importance of having a hurricane preparedness plan in place.
Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is projecting a 70 percent probability of the following ranges:
- 14 to 23 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
- 8 to 14 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:
- 3 to 7 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)
“If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared.”
The outlook ranges exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Expected factors supporting this outlook are:
- Upper atmospheric winds conducive for storms. Wind shear, which can tear apart storms, will be weaker since El Niño in the eastern Pacific has dissipated. Strong wind shear helped suppress storm development during the 2009 hurricane season.
- Warm Atlantic Ocean water. Sea surface temperatures are expected to remain above average where storms often develop and move across the Atlantic. Record warm temperatures – up to four degrees Fahrenheit above average – are now present in this region.
- High activity era continues. Since 1995, the tropical multi-decadal signal has brought favorable ocean and atmospheric conditions in sync, leading to more active hurricane seasons. Eight of the last 15 seasons rank in the top ten for the most named storms with 2005 in first place with 28 named storms.
“The main uncertainty in this outlook is how much above normal the season will be. Whether or not we approach the high end of the predicted ranges depends partly on whether or not La Niña develops this summer,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “At present we are in a neutral state, but conditions are becoming increasingly favorable for La Niña to develop.”
“FEMA is working across the administration and with our state and local partners to ensure we’re prepared for hurricane season,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “But we can only be as prepared as the public, so it’s important that families and businesses in coastal communities take steps now to be ready. These include developing a communications plan, putting together a kit, and staying informed of the latest forecasts and local emergency plans. You can’t control when a hurricane or other emergency may happen, but you can make sure you’re ready.”
NOAA scientists will continue to monitor evolving conditions in the tropics and will issue an updated hurricane outlook in early August, just prior to what is historically the peak period for hurricane activity.
