05.07.11
Kentucky Derby Weather
The 137th Kentucky Derby is set to take place this evening, with post time at 6:25 pm Eastern.
Louisville has been receiving quite a bit of rain lately (related to the flooding in the Mississippi River valley), and there is a chance for thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, so the track may be a bit sloppy.
Following are some maps from the National Weather Service, showing just how much rain Kentucky has received in the last week and last two weeks, as well as the departure from normal. Louisville is in northern Kentucky, on the Indiana border. Note how much above normal the state is!
7-day observed precipitation (click to enlarge)
14-day observed precipitation
7-day departure from normal precipitation
14-day departure from normal precipitation
The National Weather Service office in Louisville put together a very nice list of historical Kentucky Derby weather, from record temperature and precipitation stats to temperature / precipitation / track conditions / winner for each year since 1875: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=historical_kentucky_derby_weather