Bike Week weather: Is there more rain in the forecast for Daytona Beach?
Despite cloudy skies and unwelcome downpours of rain throughout the weekend, thousands of motorcycle fans still made it to Main Street in Daytona Beach to cruise and people-watch on the traditional hub of the annual 10-day event that runs through Sunday, March 10.
What’s the weather outlook as Bike Week shifts into high gear this week?
Here’s the extended Daytona Beach daily forecast according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne:
What’s the Bike Week weather forecast for Daytona Beach?
On Monday, isolated thunderstorms are forecast to develop along the sea breeze in the afternoon, according to a NWS hazardous weather statement that includes Daytona Beach.
Stronger storms will be capable of producing wind gusts up to 45 mph, occasional cloud to ground lightning strikes, and small hail. The greatest coverage of showers and storms is forecast south of Volusia County, along a line from Kissimmee to Okeechobee.
Slow moving storms will be capable of 1-2 inches of rainfall in a short period of time which could lead to localized flooding of low lying, urban, or poor drainage areas, the advisory states.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast to continue through the middle of this week, with the highest chances on Wednesday, according to the advisory.
Here’s the daily extended forecast:
Monday: Areas of dense fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 74 and nighttime low around 61. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. under mostly cloudy skies, with a high near 75 and nighttime low around 65. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Rain chance jumps to 70% at night, with showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm.
Wednesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm with a 70% chance of rain. High expected to be near 78, with nighttime low around 61. Southwest wind around 10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76 and nighttime low around 61. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon. No mention of rain.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 78 and nighttime low around 65. East southeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Mostly cloudy at night. Southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday: A 20% chance of showers under partly sunny skies, with a high near 83 and nighttime low around 63. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. At night, a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Sunday: A 40% chance of showers under partly sunny skies, with a high near 76. West wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Daytona Beach weather radar
What happens at Daytona Bike Week?
The 83rd annual event runs from March 1-10 in Daytona Beach and throughout Central Florida.
Looking back: Daytona Beach's Bike Week: A history of beer, bikes, cole slaw and 'rowdyism'
The celebration is powered by an array of vendors offering everything from custom sunglasses to exhaust systems, live music and opportunities to cruise everywhere from jam-packed city streets to scenic rural roads.
Visit officialbikeweek.com for information.
Daytona Bike Week events
Cruise Main Street: Although the event has expanded its footprint over the years, Main Street remains bucket-list worthy, especially for first-timers. Expect it to be packed elbow-to-elbow and tailpipe-to-tailpipe with motorcycles, onlookers, street vendors, bands and unusual characters from the Main Street bridge to State Road A1A.
Shop the Swap: Need a part or accessory? A complete engine? Check out the thousands of items for sale or trade at the annual Daytona Bike Week Swap Meet, a fixture for 45 years in the expansive grounds at 1471 Tomoka Farms Road, just south of the Daytona Flea & Farmers Market.
Experience coleslaw wrestling: Coleslaw wrestling, Bike Week’s most odoriferous tradition, again will draw thousands of fans to the 5-acre field behind Sopotnick’s Cabbage Patch Bar, a well-worn, well-loved wood-frame watering hole that has been a fixture for nearly a century at the corner of State Road 415 and Pioneer Trail in Samsula.
There will be two opportunities to watch the matches, at noon Wednesday, March 6, and Saturday, March 9. If you go, be prepared to have plenty of company, with sweaty spectators expected to be elbow-to-elbow in the sprawling field behind the bar.
Ride the Ormond Loop: This famed 23-mile stretch from Birthplace of Speed Park to the Tomoka River basin is known for its lush canopies of live oaks and breathtaking ocean, river and marsh views. The trek, part of a larger 30-mile-plus double loop, takes riders past an assortment of oceanfront beach parks along State Road A1A, as well as North Peninsula State Park, Highbridge Park, Bulow Creek State Park and the Fairchild Oak, Tomoka State Park, Tomoka Outpost and the Ormond Beach Historical Society.
Bike Week at Daytona International Speedway
Throughout the event, Daytona International Speedway will host a mammoth motorcycle marketplace in the parking lots in front of the track along International Speedway Boulevard.
The free event features high-end manufacturer displays, top-of-the-line gear from Hot Leathers, free test rides on Progressive Demo Road, Harley-Davidson Thunder Alley and more.
On Bike Week’s closing weekend, the Daytona 200, hosted by MotoAmerica, will unfold March 7-9 (times TBD) at the Speedway. The race features the high-powered machines on both the Speedway’s famed high banks as well as the infield road course.
Two-day ticket packages are $59, with three-day packages available for $79 at daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
In addition to the 200, the Speedway also will host the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Championship, The Twins Cup Championship and the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship during Bike Week.
Visit daytonainternationalspeedway.com for details.
Where can I get more Bike Week information?
Visit officialbikeweek.com for a full listing of events.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: See updated Daytona Beach weather forecast for Bike Week
