One of iRacing’s most requested features is dynamic weather. While other racing simulations like Assetto Corsa Competizione let you race in changing weather conditions, iRacing only lets you race in the dry.
This will soon change with iRacing’s new weather system, dubbed Tempest, set to arrive this year. Before the Tempest update arrives, iRacing has previewed an in-depth editor that will accompany the weather system.
First look at iRacing’s incredible weather editor
A clip shared on iRacing’s X, formerly Twitter, page gives us a first look at the Tempest timeline editor. This intuitive editor will let you add custom weather conditions and time intervals when setting up a race. This means a race can start in dry and clear weather conditions and end in a torrential rain storm.
Nine weather options can be seen in the clip: clear, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, overcast, fog light, fog heavy, rain light, rain, and rain heavy. There are also options to change the wind speed and temperature. These options will be randomised if set to auto. Sadly, we aren’t shown any gameplay previewing how these options will affect a race.
Forecasted weather
If you want a more accurate weather simulation, Tempest will also offer a 'Forecasted Weather' option. Based on real-world data for the location and time of year, this option “defines the likely weather phenomena during the session.”
Originally due in December's Season 1 2024 update, Tempest was delayed until March 2024 to allow the team more time to develop the complex weather system. Tempest will accurately simulate how water affects the car and track surface. Combined with iRacing’s dynamic track rubbering, you’ll feel the resistance when driving through wet areas and aquaplane out of control if you’re not careful.
Wet weather racing will bring an extra layer of strategy and unpredictability to iRacing. It's arguably the main missing feature that Due to the complexity of Tempest, iRacing’s weather system will be limited to specific cars initially, likely starting with the Formula 1600, Toyota, and Ferrari 296 GT3.
“It’s not as simple as adding a generic rain tyre onto our vehicles; rather, we are doing car-by-car R&D to ensure proper rain tire construction/modelling and driving characteristics,” Executive Producer Greg Hill explained in a recent development update. “As a result, rain support will be added to the sim in batches.”
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