Singapore GP weather: storms and smog
20th September 2009, 19:51 by Keith Collantine 20 Comments »
Several of the weather forecasts for the Singapore Grand Prix point out the chance of thunderstorms during the weekend. But we saw similar predictions before last year’s event and the five sessions went by without a drop of rain.
Another atmospheric problem that could interfere with the race weekend is smog. Singapore’s air quality plunged to its lowest level this year last week due to pollution from forest fires in nearby Sumatra.
The Singapore Grand Prix is the first major event to be held in the area since the smog developed and the race organisers are keeping an eye on the situtation.
If it does rain, that will help ease the smog. But F1′s ability to stage races at night under floodlighting in wet conditions has not been tested yet.
The weather forecast for last year’s Singapore Grand Prix has more information on the general weather conditions in the area.
Aside from the threat of rain, temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s each day. The sun sets at 7pm local time on Friday, and 6.59pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The weather can be unpredictable in this region, so I’ve found a couple of links to help keep track of it over the weekend. If you’re in the area this weekend and can help us keep track of the weather, please let us know in the comments.
Singapore Grand Prix circuit location
Singapore Grand Prix weather links
Steph90 said on 20th September 2009, 20:15
Rain could maybe cause glare on the track by the lights. Hopefully smog won’t be too bad, at least rain makes things interesting.
Tom said on 21st September 2009, 1:18
acid rain…
KNF said on 21st September 2009, 6:31
Not really acidic, but quite sooty, my car’s been covered in a layer of dried rain and soot (yucks!) for the past month or so.
One thing about driving here is that when it rains, the road markings disappear into the background glare and spray. Couple that with a tendency of Singaporean drivers to drive gray or silver cars without headlights and tailgate and we get a recipe for chain collisions… Hopefully the F1 guys are a lot more on the ball than that (where’s that lighting system Martin Whitmarsh spoke about?)
Ned Flanders said on 20th September 2009, 20:22
For the time ever, I’m praying not for rain but for a dry race instead. As the MotoGP race at Qatar earlier this year has illustrated, night racing in the rain is impossible. The problems faced in Qatar would be exacerbated in Singapore, as the walls would keep the spray from disapating as quickly as on a normal track.
Rain would therefore be a disaster, and presumably rescheduling the race for the following evening (as MotoGP did) would be out of the question- I can’t see the Singaporean government closing off their city any longer, especially after Renault made such a mockery of the last GP there…
David said on 20th September 2009, 22:51
The MotoGP situation was different as the riders look down at the track most of the time when cornering
Kevin C said on 21st September 2009, 16:23
Drivers can’t even see the floor in a Formula 1 car, so it shouldn’t be a problem
Keith Collantine said on 21st September 2009, 8:26
I reckon they’d be more likely to give it a try in F1. But the sheer volume of spray thse cars kick up combined with the floodlighting could be a problem. They’ll have to suck it and see.
Bigbadderboom said on 20th September 2009, 20:23
What is the track temperature expected to be in the evenings?
I should imagine that drivig through spray and synthetic lighting is going to be a new nightmare for the drivers if it comes down.
Robin said on 20th September 2009, 20:36
Just as long as it doesn’t get rained out like the Malaysian GP, I’ll be happy!!
Tom said on 21st September 2009, 1:21
at least it doesn’t matter if it’s dark after the rain!
Toby Bushby said on 20th September 2009, 23:49
I’m going to be in Singapore for the race, so I’ll try to update now and again. Can’t promise much, but I’ll try. I’m staying with my sister in-law, and funnily enough, she hasn’t mentioned anything about the smog there. Storms, yes, but smog, no…..
Keith Collantine said on 21st September 2009, 8:28
Cool have a great time Toby!
KNF said on 21st September 2009, 6:26
Weather here is still fairly decent (24 to 33 degrees Celsius with a light breeze), visibility is about 10km… We just had a weekend with some rain, that cleared up the smoke from Indonesia.
If weather conditions like today holds up till next weekend, even the support races in the afternoon should be rather comfortable to watch. I’ll be heading to the circuit area today for a lookaround…
iceshiel said on 21st September 2009, 7:16
I live in singapore and it rains very frequently all year, although the rain typically falls in the morning or late afternoon. I am surprised that the event organisers mentioned the smog as a likely problem. The smog is so thin I doubt it would be a problem.
SaloolaS said on 21st September 2009, 8:02
Let’s hope that it will rain just a little bit, so there will be race.
mp4-19b said on 21st September 2009, 8:38
Saloolas, I think you gonna lose your grip on the championship lead this weekend. I’m sure of it. You’ve been in the lead for too long
CY said on 21st September 2009, 13:35
I hope so too – unfortunately when it rains in Singapore it doesn’t stay a drizzle for long.
And as other people have mentioned, the smog is really thin and I don’t think it’ll be any problem.
roberttty said on 21st September 2009, 15:31
Hi guys, I live in Singapore and as the saying goes: “It doesnt rain here – it pours.”
It certainly looks like we will get some rain this weekend although the rain tends to come in the early morning (7-8am) or luchtime (12-1pm).
Having said that, it rained at 8pm just now! (Monday)
JohnBt said on 23rd September 2009, 6:59
Ladies and gentlemen, don’t worry too much about the weather, it certainly ain’t going to be extreme. Today is very sunny, but it can rain tonight, and the haze level has been very low the past few days. Will help if it rain for today, tomorrow and even Friday morning. Friday – 3pm will be the first practice for Formula BMW and rubber will be laid down from there. What could happen is dry on Friday and Saturday, then heavy rain after qualifying. If that should happen the rubber will be washed off making Sunday more difficult. Assume Raceday is wet, the lights will be a test for worthiness. And don’t believe that it pours here like some typhoon, we do get drizzles and light rain too. Prefer a dry race though.
chris said on 26th September 2009, 2:54
I am staying with my folks about 5 miles from the track(near Sentosa). I have just woken up after an excellent friday session to glorious sunshine and not a cloud in the sky.