Saturday night update: Well folks, it certainly feels more like June than early April across the CSRA tonight! We’ve wrapped up a very warm Saturday, and the summer preview continues Sunday with highs in the upper 80s. It should stay dry for the talented young competitors in the Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals, but one difference will be the wind – expect it to get breezy, with gusts potentially up to 30 mph. The big change holds off until Sunday evening, when an approaching cold front starts to bring showers and thunderstorms into the CSRA. The initial activity might be more focused west of Augusta, spreading across the entire CSRA overnight.

As Masters patrons begin arriving and players gear up for Masters practice rounds, the weather takes a turn as that cold front moves in slowly Sunday night and into Monday. Ahead of it, with plenty of warmth and moisture in place, there will be ingredients for some of the storms to become strong. A marginal risk of severe weather is in place across the entire CSRA. Right now, it looks like the main threat from any stronger storms would be damaging winds. The higher threat is the flash flooding potential. Expect general rainfall totals between 1 to 3 inches across the area by Monday night, with isolated higher amounts certainly possible where storms repeatedly track. The heaviest rain potential is focused across the far northwestern portion of our area where a slight risk of flash flooding exists. The rest of the area is under a marginal risk. Unfortunately, this is likely to impact the practice round on Monday. Thankfully, the rain should taper off behind the front Monday night.

Then, we flip the page to much much cooler and drier air for Tuesday’s Masters practice round and Wednesday’s Par 3 Contest. Patrons heading out will definitely need different attire than over the weekend! Highs will be more comfortable and seasonable, likely in the upper 60s, while nighttime lows drop into the upper 30s to low 40s. 

Looking ahead to the tournament rounds themselves, remember that forecasts this far out can change, but here’s the current outlook:

• Thursday (First Tournament Round): As official tournament play begins, the weather currently looks favorable. Expect seasonable temperatures climbing into the low 70s with mostly sunny conditions for the first round.
• Friday (Second Tournament Round): Friday could bring some rough conditions with scattered showers and storms. Temperatures will be remaining in the low 70s.
• Saturday (Third Tournament Round): A stray shower is possible early. Otherwise, expect a mix of sun and clouds with slightly cooler temperatures in the upper 60s.
• Sunday (Fourth Tournament Round): For the final round and the coveted green jacket presentation, we’ll wrap up the week under mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 70s.