INDIANA, USA — We are trying to get lots of laps in at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) before the Indy 500 on Sunday, May 26, 2024, but rain chances keep interrupting drivers. On Wednesday, the track was closed until roughly 3 p.m. due to scattered rain.
Tap HERE to our interactive radar to track the rain and storms.
The weather pattern remains unsettled for a few days. Expect on-and-off rain chances with lots of sunshine in between. Many dry periods are expected, plus many wet periods as well.
A low pressure system is moving in from the west and will help to stir up the atmosphere with more scattered rain and rumbles through Saturday.
Let's go day-by-day for rain chances as the low pressure moves and evolves over the Ohio River Valley.
Thursday, May 16 – Spotty rain later
Most of Thursday's practice looks good! Enjoy the sunshine through the early afternoon. Clouds are expected to increase later in the afternoon and evening, bringing some spotty rain chances especially after 4 p.m. They should stay very hit or miss.
Friday, May 17 – Scattered rain and thunder
Friday looks to be rainiest day in the short-term forecast. A low pressure storm will be sitting in Kentucky, helping to bubble up scattered rain and thunder chances across the state. The heaviest rain will likely be south of Indianapolis. With temperatures warming back well into the 70s, expect on-and-off rain throughout the day. There will be a lot of water in the atmosphere, so watch for some localized heavy downpours in these cells.
More consistent, widespread rain is likely in southern and southeastern Indiana, closer to the low pressure center. Hit-or-miss downpours are possible around the speedway.
Thunder will be possible, but severe weather is not expected for now.
Saturday, May 18 – Few shower chances
Spotty to scattered showers will be possible throughout the day on Saturday. The low pressure will be slowly exiting to the east, but it may still throw some rain chances on and off throughout the day. The rain looks to be on the lighter side. Some of us will not get anything, but some of us will.
Sunday, May 19 – Mostly sunny and turning warm
The rain should be done! With plenty of sunshine, expect highs to reach into the 80s in the afternoon. It may feel even hotter by the track.
Looking ahead
What about the actual Indy 500? It's too early to tell. There will be a storm system somewhere in the Midwest around the Indy 500 weekend, but we're not sure where it will drop some rain chances just yet.
In the meantime, a big warmup is coming for next week with lots of 80s.
Stay tuned!
-13News Meteorologist Matt Standridge
