Dry Weather And Warm Expected For 144th Kentucky Derby

An AccuWeather report released just days in advance of the start of the 144th running of the legendary Kentucky Derby indicates that, bucking a recent trend, attendees at the May 5 race should be able to enjoy relatively warm, dry weather.

That, of course, could change, as the AccuWeather report also said there is a good chance for a rain shower or even a thunderstorm Friday, which could lead to that afternoon’s scheduled races – not least of which is the Derby’s counterpart for female horses, the Kentucky Oaks race – having a delayed start. Still, even with the possibility of moderate to heavy precipitation in the forecast for Friday, the report seems to show a weather situation in the upper Ohio Valley (which, for visitors not familiar with local geography, is where Louisville Kentucky and the surrounding areas are located) that is a sight better than how things looks for the further to the west.

AccuWeather predicts a “prolonged, multi-day stretch of dangerous severe storms” in the central and southern sectors of the Great Plains from the start of the week through the middle – say late Wednesday or Thursday. Large chunks of hail, several inches of rainfall, winds fast enough (up to 70 miles per hour, the report said) to be damaging to light structures and some roofs and possibly even tornado formation could result from the streak of severe thunderstorms throughout parts of northern Texas, Oklahoma, western Kansas and large swaths of Nebraska and Iowa. This band of bad weather predicted to fizzle out into the potential showers that Kentucky Derby attendees could be putting up with come Friday or possibly even Saturday.

Nevertheless, the weather is predicted to be dry and warm throughout most of Derby Week and should not impede on any of the annual festivities, which include undercard races, parties and of course all the pageantry that goes into the build up to what enthusiasts from around the world call “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” When combined with Saturday’s predicted temperatures falling somewhere in the high 70s to the middle 80s, the weekend’s anticipated dry weather should create a situation where the dirt race course at Churchill Downs should in all likelihood be dried out, even in the event of a rainy afternoon the day before the race.

That being said, with easily more than 100,000 guests (and probably more like 170,000 plus) in attendance at the historic running of the 144th annual race, those in the crowd should be prepared to get under some cover if the weather takes a turn for the worse prior to the 6:46 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) post time. This highly variably weather situation could, quite naturally, wreak havoc – not on the track – but with the plans of the tens of thousands of ladies in attendance.

The Kentucky Derby is famous around the globe for the self imposed pageantry of the females and fops that show up and show out for the historic race, with careful consideration and extra precautions taken as regard to their ostentatious wardrobe choices. When nobody knows what the weather is going to do, it is difficult to predict how one should dress for an event like the “Run for the Roses,” with its strict dress code. After all, one can’t stack on too many layers of clothing (lest the ladies turn into a morass of melty makeup) just because the weather could be a little warm, but neither can any reasonable woman risk having her massive frilly hat destroyed by pelting hail.

As for the horses, they should be fine no matter how the weather ends up on race day. The 3 year old colts are regularly put through their paces in all kinds of weather from hot to chilly and all kinds of track situations from arid to swampy. In fact, many a climactic Kentucky Derby has been won by a solid “mudder” (a horse that runs well on a soggy, boggy track) dealing with less than ideal climatic conditions. This year could be a repeat, as horseplayers need look no further than the current leader on the Bovada.lv racebook betting board, Justify (+400 moneyline odds to claim the wreath of roses), who has plenty of experience on a wet track.

However the actual race day turns out (the AccuWeather report states that the average temperature for early may in that part of Kentucky is 74 degrees Fahrenheit and there is typically dry, if slightly breezy weather generally), the temps and winds are expected to be warm and mild, respectively, by Sunday, May 6. That should mean that weather your horse of choice wins, places or shows (or even if he fails to do all three) that you can at least expect to be able to drive back home in reasonable comfort. If you lock in your wagers early at any number of legal offshore racebook websites – KentuckyDerbyPreview.com recommends Bovada.lv, BetOnline, SportsBetting, BetDSI and 5Dimes – then that drive home could be at least partially spent counting out your winnings, but do be sure to check out your horse or horses of choice to make sure they can run on a rainy track.

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