With the recent release of Rain to the iRacing platform, we have also been introduced to a completely new iRacing Weather System.
While the major focus of this weather update was centered on rain, some of the other changes of this new Weather System are much different than what we have used for years will have a bigger impact on how we do things in our sessions.
We will discuss the differences between the old and new weather systems, and then outline the changes being introduced moving forward.
PREVIOUS WEATHER OPTIONS
WEATHER
With the previous weather settings in iRacing, there were basically two options to choose from:
- Generated Weather, which would have iRacing completely generate the weather forecast
- Specific Weather, which allowed the ability to choose some specific values (even unrealistic ones) to determine the forecast
In a majority of our races we would use Specific Weather, with the exception of using Generated Weather in fixed-setup series.
We would also include a Variance value into our weather. The initial variance meant that initial weather values could be slightly different than our forecast when the session starts, and the ongoing variance would allow the weather to change throughout the session.
At the start of each race week, we would post our expected weather forecast on the website, which included a 50% variance value.
So as an example, this is the type of forecast that we would post:
70°
50%
5 E
Partly
50%
DYNAMIC SKIES
In addition to the weather forecast and variance options, the other big factor that we utilize in our sessions are Dynamic Skies.
Dynamic Skies are what allows us to start a race in the daylight and transition into a night race. Plus it's also what allows the clouds in the sky to roll in our out during the race.
NEW WEATHER SYSTEM
In the new Weather System, there are now three options to choose from:
- Static Weather
- Forecasted Weather
- Timeline Editor (for now we are unlikely to use this option)
Let's focus mainly on the differences between Static vs Forecasted Weather, and the cons of each option:
STATIC WEATHER
The new Static Weather option is similar to the old Specific Weather options in some ways, as it allows the ability to choose some specific weather values for the session.
Pick the weather conditions for the session, and send it.
However... the con:
Static Weather means exactly what it says. Static. Everything in the session is completely static.
There is no variance option, so the session will launch with the exact chosen values, and it will remain completely static throughout the session.
This sounds similar to the old Specific Weather option with dynamic skies turned off. However there are some major differences.
Static Weather now also means static skies... and static Time of Day... and static track temps*...
The weather will not change, the clouds or sky will not move, and the in-sim time will not transition throughout the session. Also in some initial testing, the track temperature doesn't even change in practice or qualifying, *but it might possibly change in a race session.
FORECASTED WEATHER
The new Forecasted Weather option gives some parameters to choose from, that allows iRacing to create a much more realistic weather forecast for the session.
When using Forecasted weather the Dynamic Skies, Time of Day transitions, and track temps all function properly as expected.
However... the con:
Forecasted Weather also means exactly what it says. A forecast.
The weather may vary from what is forecasted for the session, basically like having a built-in variance in the weather.
Also the available parameters to choose from are fairly generic, and there is no option to choose any specific weather values.
The sessions will be dynamic, but a generic forecast could make it more difficult to fine tune setups when testing prior to each race.
CHANGES MOVING FORWARD
After reviewing and testing these changes that were introduced with the new Weather System, we have come up with a plan to utilize these new features in each of our current series.
WEATHER
FORECASTED WEATHER
With the Weekly Series being a fixed-setup series, we will continue to let iRacing generate the weather for these sessions. We will use the Forecasted Weather options, with everything set on Auto, allowing iRacing to generate realistic conditions for the session.
RACE SESSIONS: FORECASTED WEATHER
In the Contender Series, each Race session will use Forecasted Weather, and we will use the same forecast across each race split. We will choose some parameters to create a forecast for the session, and will post this forecast on the website. For example:
70-71°
50-63%
6-7 E
Partly
QUALIFYING SESSIONS: STATIC WEATHER
Since we often put up more than one Qualifying session each week in the Contender Series, it is important that the conditions in both qualifying sessions are identical. Therefore we will use Static Weather in all Contender Series qualifying sessions. The static weather values, will be chosen within the range of the forecasted values.
FORECASTED WEATHER
In the Super Series, both the Qualifying and the Race sessions will use Forecasted Weather, and the same forecast will be used in both sessions. We will choose some parameters to create a forecast for the session, and will post this forecast on the website. For example:
70-71°
50-63%
6-7 E
Partly
SCHEDULED SESSIONS
Since we are using the iRacing Weather System to create our forecasts, we will schedule out most of our sessions at the start of each week.
Weekly Series events are held within one session, so this event will be scheduled for it's correct start time of 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday nights.
Contender Series race sessions will be scheduled out for a later start time, while qualifying sessions will not be created until race night. After qualifying, each race session will launch as soon as the race grids are manually created.
Super Series race sessions will be scheduled out for a later start time, while qualifying sessions will be scheduled for the correct start time of 9:30 PM ET. After qualifying, the race session will launch as soon as the race grid is manually created.
VIEW FORECASTS & TEST DRIVE
By scheduling out sessions in advance, this will also allow drivers to view the session forecasts directly in the UI, as well as test drive based on these conditions.
In the UI, visit the Leagues section, then in the Up Next tab, click on any scheduled session to view it's details.
In the weather section of the details, there is a new View Forecast button that will allow you to see the forecasted weather conditions in each session.
When viewing the details of a session, there is also an option in the bottom right corner to Test Drive, which will pull the car, track, and session conditions to make it easier to test prior to an event.
Everyone will have their own preferred ways to test, but using Static Weather to choose values within the forecast and adjusting the Time of Day in the test drive settings, may help reduce some of the variables.
