Will weather delay the long-awaited Indianapolis 500 this weekend?

 By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist

Published Aug. 21, 2020 7:07 AM

After being postponed due to the pandemic, the Indianapolis 500 is finally scheduled to take place this weekend, nearly three months after the race was originally scheduled to be held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

For the race on Sunday, another very weak disturbance will be in the vicinity. In addition, a cold front will be approaching from the north. It appears that there will be enough separation between the two systems that a dry day is expected, but the chance is nonzero that a thunderstorm could move over the track. Ahead of the cold front, warmth and humidity will be present on Sunday.

Marco Andretti is shown after winning the pole for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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"Despite the warmth and humidity, any chance for a thunderstorm looks small and remote, so the race is likely to be run under dry conditions," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski. "If any thunderstorm does pop around the speedway on Sunday afternoon, it should be brief and only delay the race and not cause a postponement."

Temperatures should generally be in the mid-80s during the race. However, it will feel warmer than that.

"It will be a typically warm and humid late-August afternoon for the Indianapolis 500 with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures around 90 at the start of the race," Pydynowski stated. "With some sun and temperatures well into the 80s, temperatures on the track could be up to around 110 degrees when the race begins."

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Since the high in Indianapolis was 85 degrees on May 24, when the race was originally scheduled to take place, conditions will be very similar this weekend to what they were over Memorial Day holiday weekend.

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