Photo: Jon Kral/Pimlico Race Course
Predictions for Saturday’s 150th running Preakness Stakes After Friday’s “active weather day,” the National Weather Service predicted improvements, predicting improvements in conditions with showers alone.
The latest prognosis improves the likelihood that Preakness will run on high speed tracks, but the timing and location of the thunderstorms moving through the area on Friday will likely determine if there is time for Pimlico dirt and grass tracks to dry out on Saturday.
The latest multi-day forecast from weather services shows that a shower is 30% likely to occur in Baltimore on Thursday night, with a 60% chance of a shower and a 50% thunderstorm on Friday. The area said it could receive up to 1/2 inch of rainfall on Friday.
“Only a prolonged shower before the environment dries on Saturday night will start to improve conditions on Saturday,” the forecast said, with both showers and thunderstorms at 50%. Most of the activity is expected between EDT from 11am to 2pm, with a high of around 91 degrees later that day.
The area has already received much rainfall this week, with Baltimore Washington International Airport recording 2.28 inches of rain on Tuesday, followed by over 1.5 inches on Wednesday.
On Thursday, it was called “drizzling” in the area and only traces of rain were reported by the late afternoon. Still, morning training took place on a sloppy, enclosed racetrack, and afternoon races took place on muddy, dirt strips.
All races were taken from the grass by Pimlico officials.
