AUGUSTA, Ga. – The first major golf tournament of the year is expected to get off to a stormy start in Georgia, as a slow-moving storm system will produce heavy rainfall over Augusta this week.
The FOX Forecast Center expects heavy rain to start falling on Wednesday in the Peach State, with thunderstorms possible on Thursday morning.
Due to most of the rainfall occurring when daytime heating will be at its lowest, widespread severe weather is not anticipated in Augusta, but any storm will be capable of producing heavy rainfall, gusty winds and cloud-to-ground lightning.
Forecast models show between 1-3″ will fall over Augusta National Golf Club, which is home to the Masters Tournament.
Once the associated cold front moves through, it’ll help to clear things out with nothing other than sunny but breezy conditions on tap for the remainder of the week and the weekend.
Besides the weather, the field of 89 golfers, including Tiger Woods, will have to compete with high to extreme levels of pollen.
A warm winter and wet spring have allowed vegetation to blossom across the South, leading to an early and extensive leaf-out season for many species of plants.
HOW WEATHER CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR GOLF GAME
The Masters Tournament is no stranger to inclement weather due to its early April timing.
In 2023, storms triggered delays and even caused several trees to fall among spectators. Despite the stormy weather, the tournament was able to conclude around nightfall on Sunday, with no one reported to be seriously injured.
Rainfall also impacted tournaments in 2022, 2019 and around half of all other years since the 1930s.
Despite Mother Nature’s history of producing adverse weather, only a handful of tournaments have had a Monday finish, including in 1983 and 1973.
The Augusta Chronicle reported that in 1973, 2.5 inches of rain fell on the course and caused Round 3 to be postponed, which caused the last round and the winner to be crowned the green jacket on a Monday.