Will it rain on the Indy 500? Here's central Indiana's latest weather forecast as of Carb Day
Weather forecasts this week have had the chance of rain at the Indianapolis 500 as high as 30%.
Here's what we know about rain chances at this year's race.
Indy 500 2025 weather forecast
Should race fans bring their umbrellas to the race?
Leave ‘em.
As of Friday morning, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Indianapolis predict no rain at the track on Race Day.
“We’ve now removed the shower part of the forecast for Sunday,” said Alexander McGinnis, a meteorologist at the Indianapolis office.
Any showers should stay south of Indianapolis, he said.
Although the forecast is for a dry Marion County on Sunday, it will be partly cloudy with increasing clouds in the evening, he said.
Temperatures in Speedway will start cool, with a morning low of about 49, and increase to the high of about 70 in the afternoon. Humidity levels should be low.
“So it should be a lovely spring day on Sunday,” McGinnis said.
How many times has it rained on the day of the Indy 500?
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.
How bad was the rain in 2024 during the Indy 500?
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.
Weather forecast for Indianapolis, Indiana
The weekend weather forecast for central Indiana is as follows:
⛅ Friday: Increasing clouds. High near 68. West northwest wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
🌜 Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
☀️ Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 71. Light north wind.
🌜 Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
☀️🏎️🏁 Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph.
When was the rainiest Indy 500? How did it impact the race?
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.
Live weather radar for Indianapolis, Indiana
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.