Running won’t be a breeze for Philly marathon racers, with strong winds expected both days
Gusts to 25 mph are possible both days, but they may hold off until the races are over.
Although they should see dry runs, the 30,000 or so participants in the annual Philadelphia Marathon races Saturday and Sunday can expect wind chills in the 30s along with facefuls of wind.
Forecasters are calling for steady breezes from the west of 10 to 15 mph, with an outside chance of renegade gusts past 25 mph, during the race times on both days, perhaps getting an extra kick in some places as the winds squeeze through buildings.
“I don’t think any of us like it,” Seth Weiss, president of the Philly Runners club, said of the wind prospect. “I think I like it a little less than some others,” added Weiss, who is running in Saturday’s 13.1-mile half-marathon race.
The wind outlook is similar for Sunday’s 26.2-mile marathon.
» READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon
As with so much else in the chaotic atmosphere, nailing wind forecasts can be an elusive exercise, said Paul Pastelok, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
Winds in the upper atmosphere will be quite strong, and will attempt to mix down to the surface after the sun rises. Just how successful they would be is uncertain.
Pastelok said it’s at least possible the stronger gusts would hold off until the races are over. Conversely, he said, “You could get a pretty good gust right in your face.”
Another wild card, said Alex Staarmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, would be the so-called urban wind-tunnel effect. Winds get an extra jolt when they are forced to funnel through buildings.
If you plan on being out there watching, this will be a layers, sweater, jacket situation.
Weiss won’t be running Sunday but will be on hand to distribute medals, and he expects to be considerably colder then than on Saturday morning.
“When I’m volunteering,” he said, “I bundle up.”