The Indianapolis 500 has finally arrived and the weather is having an impact at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
2024 Indy 500 rain plan:What IMS President Doug Boles says about Indy 500 weather, start time, safety
Here's the latest on how rain is impacting the Indy 500:
12:50 p.m.: National Weather Service issues a severe thunderstorm warning for Indianapolis
Racing fans are waiting out the storm as NWS issues a severe thunderstorm warning.
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12:47 p.m.: High winds expected in Indy soon
More:Indy 500 has been delayed. What to know about the race and IMS procedures
11:57 a.m.: National Weather Service warns of strong winds:
11:55 a.m.: Indianapolis police encourage 500 attendees to seek shelter in vehicles
11:18 a.m.: IMS officials ask attendees to exit grandstands
11:15 a.m.: Radar shows storms moving over Indianapolis
10:45 a.m.: Is the 2024 Indy 500 delayed for rain?
More than likely. Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles said around 10:45 a.m. that if the storm continues its present trajectory over the next 30 minutes, officials would ask spectators in the grandstands and concertgoers in the Snake Pit to evacuate. All pre-race activities would be paused. Once the rain passes, they would begin the process of drying the track, which can take over an hour.
More:Live Indy 500 fun report: Coverage from the Snake Pit, co*ke Lot and more on race day
Earlier updates:
What will weather forecast be like today for the 2024 Indy 500? Will it rain?
Showers and thunderstorms are expected Sunday and some could produce heavy rainfall with a 90% chance of precipitation, according to NWS Indianapolis. The first wave of storms is expected to arrive before 3 p.m. East southeast winds become south by afternoon between 6 to 15 mph. Wind gusts could reach a high of 23 mph.
Temperatures should max out around 76 degrees. Rain accumulation is expected to be near 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely to return in the evening, mainly before 1 a.m., and could be severe. With a 70% chance of precipitation, damaging winds are the likely concern with some locations possibly seeing hail or tornados.
There will be a south wind around 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph possible. The low temperature will be near 64.Another 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of rain is expected.
Everything Indy 500: IndyStar's full coverage for this year's race
2024 Indy 500 rain plan
Reporter Nathan Brown spoke with Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles early Sunday:
Though fans may be familiar with the typical 8-mile radius rule, where lightning within that can temporarily postpone or cancel youth sporting events, IMS says it will make calls to clear the grandstands much quicker on Sunday.
Boles said the track will have weather radars on various video screens around the property so that fans can monitor where the storm is tracking and act in ways that make them most comfortable.
"As we start seeing this storm develop, we'll start thinking about asking folks to leave the grandstands much, much earlier than an 8-mile radius, so they can implement their own safety plan," Boles said. "We've got another 120 minutes as we see how this storm develops, and then we'll make another decision on what the right thing to do is to keep our customers safe."
IMS will alert fans on weather and venue updates through its public address system and on its video boards. Fans can also text Indy500 to 67283 to have alerts sent directly to their phones.
Visit indystar.com to for Boles' entire gameplan for rain.
Indy 500 weather history
IndyStar analyzed 20 years of historic data from Weather Underground for May 26, this year's Race Day.
Daily temperatures averaged in the high 60s and it rained only 5 days out of the last 20 since 2004. Precipitation totals on rainy days were light, with the highest on record at only one-tenth of an inch.
On previous race days not always falling on May 26, temperatures varied wildly from a high of 92 degrees in 1937 and a low at 37 degrees in 1947, according to the National Weather Service.
The most rain fell on May 30, 2004, when Race Day was inundated with nearly 4 inches of precipitation.
When is the 2024 Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
The 108th running of theIndianapolis 500takes place Sunday, May 26, 2024.
What is the 2024 Indy 500 start time?
The green flag drops at 12:45 p.m. ET.
