Sunday, October 28 – 7:40am (Wheel chair and hand cycle) 7:55am (Runners)
Washington, D.C.
Mostly Cloudy, Stray Showers (30%), Gusty
High: 60 Low: 54
6AM | 8AM | 10AM | NOON | 2PM |
54 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 60 |
Saturday Morning Update – Confidence Level: 95%
Race Website | Local Radar | Current Conditions | Pace Chart | Philosophy
Winds will be the main problem as they blow out of the north-northeast sustained at 10-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph at times. Temperatures will be mild in the low to mid 50s for the start, then reaching around the 60 degree mark by the early afternoon. Shower activity is expected to be isolated at best so it appears the majority of the race at this point is looking dry which is great. I’m headed to the expo now to pick up my packet, I’ll be sure to do another update this evening!
If you are coming in from out of town, you will want to leave D.C. Sunday evening if at all possible unless you have another place to stay or for some reason want to experience this storm (like me of course!). Some of the models show a storm of such intensity that the region hasn’t seen since potentially Hurricane Isabel or Irene, or potentially even worse. My weather department at ABC 7 in D.C. is expecting the chance for flooding, heavy rain, wind damage, and also power outages come Monday into Tuesday. Widespread travel delays will be common across the east coast so if there’s one thing you don’t want to do after a marathon, it’s sit around an airport for 24 to 48 hours! Just try if you can to have some kind of a back-up plan!
Recommendations:
It’s in the 50s, so I always wear shorts and a t-shirt in those temperatures. I really do think you may be too warm if you try to wear anything more. Some of you may be able to get away with long sleeve shirts to start but be sure to wear a layer as I think after you get warmed up you’ll want to shed it. Be sure to remember your body glide and bring something for the start of the race in case there are showers early on.
Been following your posts for days now. Thank you for your race day forecast. I am from California and they cancelled my Monday morning flight early Sunday before the race even started. Still glad I can. My 14 year old son got the sub 4 he was hoping for and my time was as good as could have been expected with the winds so it was worth it. Again – THANK YOU!
I was planning on driving out Monday morning. Should I get out Sunday? Driving south towards Roanoke.
You can leave Monday morning, just be ready for gusts to 40-45 mph and some heavy rain squalls on the way home. Conditions should improve the farther south and west you are though. Good luck tomorrow!
Thanks,
I just got in for the MCM yesterday and am staying with a friend. I was supposed to leave Monday night but found a flight out and am now book for Monday morning at 6 AM. Should I be able to get out then or should I keep looking and try to get out Sunday PM if possible. Thanks for the great advice and site and I appreciate any more advice.
It’s a tough call, but you MAY be able to get out early Monday morning. Oddly enough my roommate is trying to do the same thing, and I have the same answer for him haha. If you can book a flight tomorrow, that would be ideal! Good luck!
Thank you for this forecast! Do you think Monday at 8am will be ok flying out weather wise? We just can’t get out sooner
Unfortunately if you don’t have a choice, it’s up to the airlines I guess. It’s going to be a tough call as gusts up to 40 and 45 may be occurring as early as Monday morning. I’m not exactly sure when they will start delaying flights but I hope you can get out!
We are in from Oklahoma and was scheduled to leave Monday night. We can’t get a flight out of Reagan on Sunday but have found a flight from BWI sunday evening around 8PM. Do you think we will be OK getting out from BWI Sunday night ?
I think you’ll be ok getting out Sunday evening. It’s really your only option but in your case I think that was a good call doing that. Monday-Tuesday timeframe still looks rough across the D.C. area with Tuesday being the worse of the two.
Flying in from NY …. Would hate to get to DC and have MCM cancelled … Any discussion about this ??
I really do not think that will be an issue. We’re only looking at 10-20 mph winds with gusts to 30 mph. This is the Marine Corps Marathon after all
We live at the beach in DE. Looking safer to stay in D.C. ! Can’t go home with bay bridge closed. Thanks for keeping us on top of things.
You should be able to get home on Sunday but I wouldn’t wait until conditions possibly worsen Monday. Good luck in the race!
Thanks man. This is so great and I shared it with a lot of people. Most weather forecasts are all panic. Yours is all rational. Crossing my fingers for your version of the science to be spot on.
Haha thanks Dave. Yea I have to credit the guys I work for because they are the same way and taught me well. It’s always a challenge telling the news department not to blow things out of proportion! Don’t get me wrong though, this could be really bad early next week.
Thanks for the great update. Can you give us the blow-by-blow on the wind? (see what I did there?). A majority of the course heads south by around 9 AM and along side the river. Are going to get the wind in the face or on the back?
Thanks,
Nick
What are the chances Sandy will just go out to sea?
I think Sandy will stay east over the Atlantic until it transitions into an extra-tropical cyclone which will not happen until Monday night. As of now, it really looks like there will be a major storm somewhere between New Jersey and Boston early next week.