Overview
- The National Weather Service upgraded its outlook on Saturday to a 70% chance of precipitation for Sunday, forecasting scattered showers before 11 a.m. and scattered thunderstorms through 1 p.m.
- Private forecasts show wide differences in risk with AccuWeather giving an 88% chance of rain and a 53% chance of thunderstorms while Weather Underground is more optimistic at roughly a 47% chance near noon.
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway crews have used large jet dryers in recent years that can restore the track in about 90 minutes, but lightning and strong storms would prevent on-track recovery until it is safe.
- Forecasters have lowered the Memorial Day rain risk, making Monday a more favorable backup day if the race is postponed and creating pressure on organizers and broadcasters to decide on schedule changes quickly.
- Fans should prepare for rain, travel delays, and possible schedule shifts because Sunday operations for the 12:45 p.m. start could be interrupted, and historical data show May 24 rain is rare but this weekend’s forecasts run counter to that trend.