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I'm sure you all know by now, but Danica Patrick won her first IndyCar race in Japan last weekend! Everyone has an opinion about how she won (on fuel strategy), and lots of people have opinions on her personality. All I can say is she was very polite at the press conferences I attended last year. I am very happy for her because it says a lot about women being able to keep up in a male dominated career. I consider broadcast meteorology to be a male dominated career too, but I think it's slowly changing. I am so proud to be part of a 3 woman weather team here at TV3. (And yes, we are ALL degreed meteorologists.) I think everytime you hear the word meteorologist you think "weatherman." To be honest, I do not like being referred to as a "weathergirl," "weatherwoman," or "weatherperson." I am a meteorologist. I guess weather anchor is acceptable too. :) One of my best friends is a morning meteorologist in Portland, OR, and I am so happy for her! It's wonderful to see more women meteorologists in large markets. Anyways, I hope Danica finds that second win because now that she's proven she can do it, everyone will expect her to win again. Let's not forget about the other female IndyCar drivers, Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno, either.
In other news, a tornado touched down here in Frederick County on Sunday! Here is the link to the storm report: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/events/20080420/pns_middletown.php Fortunately, nobody was injured. What should you do if a tornado warning is issued? Go to your basement and stay away from windows. If you do not have a basement, go to the lowest level of your home to an interior room with no windows. A lot of times people are injured from flying debris. Here is a link to the National Weather Service's severe weather safety webpage: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/index.shtml I encourage you to read it... you might be surprised by some of the safety tips. It's a good idea to have a weather radio too. You can set them to go off only when warnings are issued, and they run by battery so you can listen if your electricity goes out. And stay tuned to TV3 throughout severe weather season... we'll let you know about watches and warnings right away.
This weekend's weather forecast will be challenging as a large trough digs into the nation's midsection from the north. The system will move from the midwest into the east, along with a few cold fronts. The location and timing of the fronts are the key to the forecast, so most places will see a chance of showers and thunderstorms through the weekend. Here are the race forecasts:
IndyCar Series - Kansas Speedway, Sunday (4/27) at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Also note the Firestone Indy Lights will run at Kansas as well on Sunday at 1:45 p.m. Last week's race in Japan certainly proved how much of an impact weather can have on a race weekend. Qualifying looks pretty good this week with mostly sunny skies on Saturday and a temperature near 65. Some clouds will be present Sunday associated with a front bringing a chance of showers and storms early in the day. Hopefully things will remain dry at race time! Sunday will be cooler than Saturday with temperatures in the upper 50's.
NASCAR Nationwide Series - Talladega Superspeedway, Saturday (4/26) at 2:30 p.m. ET RIGHT HERE ON TV3! An approaching cold front will bring the threat of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, and the race could be effected. Temperatures will be warm topping out in the upper 70's.
Craftsman Truck Series - Kansas Speedway, Saturday (4/26) at 5:30 p.m. ET on SPEED. It'll be a busy weekend at the Kanas Speedway! Clouds will start to increase the second half of Saturday with a slight chance of showers and storms at night. Temperatures will be in the mid 60's at race time.
Sprint Cup - Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday (4/27) at 1 p.m. ET on Fox. A lingering frontal boundary will bring a chance of showers and storms under variably cloudy skies. Expect a temperature near 78 degrees.
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series - Virginia International Raceway, Sunday (4/27) at 1 p.m. ET. Mostly cloudy with a chance of scattered showers. Temperatures in the lower 70's.
Winchester Speedway - Spring Championship, Saturday (4/26) at 7 p.m. ET. A cold front will move through the area late Saturday with the possibility of showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will start out in the 70's and fall into the 60's through the night. Keep an eye to the sky!
Summit Point Motorsports Park - SCCA MARRS Sports Car event Saturday (4/26) & Sunday (4/27). A cold front is expected to move through late Saturday with a chance of showers and storms developing along the front. Skies will be partly cloudy for most of the day and temperatures will be warm with highs in the upper 70's. In the wake of the front on Sunday, skies will be a mix of sun and clouds with cooler temperatures in the upper 60's. I'd suggest having and umbrella or poncho handy just in case a shower or storm develops quickly.
I'll try to keep the forecast updated through the weekend... here's hoping we can get all the races in!
Helio came in second, but his trophy makes it seem otherwise, haha!
Me in Indianapolis last year.
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