We ended up having pretty good weather for Kentucky Derby 150 yesterday! While there were showers around Kentuckiana, none of them made it over Churchill Downs! Unfortunately, not all Kentucky Derby's, as many of us know, are very nice weather wise. Here's a look at some of the weather extremes of Derby's past:

  • Coldest Derby Day: The coldest Kentucky Derby was a frigid 36° back in 1940 when Gallahadion was the winner, and in 1957 when Iron Liege crossed the finish line first. 
  • Warmest Derby Day: The warmest Kentucky Derby was a scorcher back in 1959 when the temperature reached 94°. That was the year Tomy Lee won the Derby. 
  • Wettest Derby Day: The wettest Kentucky Derby on record was more recent, in fact just 6 years ago back in 2018. 3.15" of rain fell throughout the day, and 2.85" of that occurred between 1pm and 7pm, when the majority of fans were at the track. Even with all the rain and the sloppy track, Justify went on to win the Derby and eventually the Triple Crown. Here's what it looked like at Churchill on this day as Justify crossed the finish line.
  • Snow/Sleet: Even though the Kentucky Derby is ran on the first Saturday in May, this hasn't stopped Mother Nature from producing snow and sleet. Back on May 6th, 1989 sleet was observed at Churchill downs and Sunday Silence won the Derby. 
  • Rain or Shine: Out of the previous 149 Kentucky Derby races that have been ran, 61 of those experienced measurable rainfall at some point during the day. In other statistical terms, right around 41% of Kentucky Derby days. 

Reach meteorologist Bryce Jones at BJones@wdrb.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. Copyright 2024. WDRB Media. All rights reserved.