Will it rain on the Indy 500? Here's central Indiana's latest weather forecast as of Monday
The forecast for central Indiana starting this week is looking on the damp and dour side, according to the National Weather Service, which predicts thunderstorms and showers Monday through Wednesday.
Here's what we know about rain chances at this year's race.
As of Monday morning, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Indianapolis predict...
"We're not expecting any thunderstorms from midweek through the Indy 500, but there is a low chance for showers continuing into Thursday and Friday," NWS meteorologist Greg Melo told IndyStar Monday morning.
Melo added that the forecast for race day could still change and is something NWS will be monitoring throughout the week.
"Though the forecast for the Indy 500 is a little more uncertain, it looks more likely than not we'll stay dry here in the Indy metro," Melo said.
The reason for the uncertainty is that a system, or a cluster of storms, will develop out in the plains that will weaken as it moves eastward. According to Melo, that could potentially bring some light rain to the area on Sunday.
"If it (does rain), it looks more likely than not that it would stay South and West of the Indy metro, but we can't rule it out, so we do have some rain chances in the forecast for Sunday," Melo said.
Out of the past 108 runnings of the Indianapolis 500, measurable or trace amounts of precipitation fell 47 times at some point during the day — that's roughly 44%, according to historical records maintained by the NWS.
Last year's rainfall during the Indy 500 was one for the record books. Severe weather in 2024 caused the race to be delayed for roughly three hours after 1.48 inches of rain spilled across central Indiana, soaking the track as well as the fans. It was the third rainiest Indy 500 ever.
Story continues after photo gallery.
The extended weather forecast for central Indiana is as follows:
🌧️☁️ Monday: A 20% chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76.
⛈️🌧️ Monday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
⛈️🌧️ Tuesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 8am, then showers between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. High near 71. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
⛈️🌧️ Tuesday night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m. Low around 58. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
⛈️🌧️ Wednesday: A 50% chance of showers, mainly after 8 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 65. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
⛈️🌧️ Wednesday night: A 30% chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
🌧️⛅Thursday: A 20% chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 63.
🌜 Thursday night: Partly cloudy with a low around 46.
☀️ Friday: Mostly sunny with a high near 66.
🌜 Friday night: Partly cloudy with a low around 48.
⛅ Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
🌜☁️ Saturday night: Mostly clear with lows in the low 50s.
⛅🏎️🏁 Sunday: A 20% chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
The wettest Indy 500 on record happened in 2004, according to NWS, when 3.8 inches of precipitation drenched the Indianapolis area. Twice, rain stopped the race — first at Lap 28, then a second time which ultimately led to shortening that year's Indy 500 to 180 laps (450 miles), according to IMS.
Rain and the Indy 500: Let's take a look back at historical weather data for the Indy 500.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.
Katie Wiseman covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 2025 weather forecast as of Monday, May 19
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