Weather Watch for Talladega

From the folks at AccuWeather for this weekend's Talladega race: AccuWeather.com reports the same system that sparked tornadoes over the southern Racing Plains Thursday evening will produce waves of dangerous thunderstorms and heavy rain at Talladega Superspeedway this evening through Saturday evening. Rather than just being one line of storms or heavy rain for a several-hour period, it now appears that as many as several rounds of potentially severe thunderstorms will roll through east-central Alabama. The thunderstorms will bring the risk of damaging wind gusts, flash flooding, large hail, and even a tornado. Lightning will pose the greatest danger, as many people will be outdoors in unprotected areas. Remember tents, pavilions and grandstands do not offer adequate protection from lightning. During strong thunderstorm winds, tents, tarps and canopies can be tossed about and destroyed, with debris potentially causing serious injuries.

While the odds of a tornado striking the immediate Superspeedway area are relatively small, there will be multiple opportunities Dangerous storms for severe weather conditions and tornadoes. The first round of thunderstorms with locally strong winds is expected to roll through Friday evening. Fans hanging around for activities following Sprint Cup practice and Nationwide Series qualifying Friday could get soaked. Repetitive drenching showers and locally strong thunderstorms are expected late tonight into Saturday morning. Any brightening that occurs Saturday midday may only entice another round of nasty thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening. The Nationwide Series race and Sprint Cup qualifying -scheduled for 11:40am/et] could be rained out. The good news is that fans, drivers and officials should get a break from Mother Nature Sunday. Crews could be working to dry off the track in time for the start of the Sprint Cup race at 1:00pm/et p.m. While the chance of rain is not zero for Sunday, the vast majority of the time will be rain-free. There is a slight chance for a passing shower. With the wild and, at times, dangerous weather expected this weekend, NASCAR fans are encouraged to keep an eye on the weather, while keeping the other on their favorite pastime. AccuWeather.com