Distance Training #3 weather update (9 p.m. Friday)

One last check with the nerdy forecasters at the National Weather Service before I head to bed. And it's a tiny bit more interesting than the last outlook:

Unlike the Thursday evening frontal passage with its steady rain... this system to be marked by shower activity and varying amounts of rain due to the convective nature of the precipitation. Instability showers lingering a little longer by recent forecast solutions than previous forecast package so much of Saturday to have shower activity and not tapering off until Saturday night.

What they're saying is that tomorrow might be more like today ... yes, it's fairly certain that any one area will receive some precipitation, but it will be scattered throughout the day, making it tough to predict how heavily impacted any particular location will be. But also, the earlier prediction that things might start clearing out in the afternoon now seems to be not so likely.

AccuWeather still calls for seven hours of rain tomorrow, with a precipitation total of a hefty 0.46 inch, with a 30% chance of thunderstorms. A reminder: Thunderstorms in the ride area mean an instant cancellation.

So, with all that said, I'll check things early in the morning and post a decision here. And remember, if we don't do the entire scheduled route on Saturday, we'll try it again on February 13. Ride leaders: Let me know if you can make it that day.

In slightly more positive news, Sunday looks more favorable. Why not consider the 30-mile Cat-2 ride in Sunnyvale? And here's a protip: If you park at our usual spot in Mountain View and commute to and from the meeting point, the ride becomes a quite respectable 41 miles.