Indianapolis weather opens Tuesday with mainly clear skies and a cooler feel, then turns bright and mild by afternoon. Sunrise comes at 6:33 a.m., and plenty of sunshine is expected to carry temperatures into the upper 70s before clouds slowly thicken late in the day.

That calm stretch will not last long. Scattered showers are expected to move across the state tonight ahead of a cold front, with the best chance for rain between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. A few storms cannot be ruled out, and a couple of stronger gusts could mix in with the showers as the front approaches.

Wednesday will deliver the sharpest turn in the forecast. Gusty northwest winds of 15-30 mph will make it the coolest day of the week, with highs only in the lower 60s. After the front passes, brilliant sunshine returns, but the air will feel much colder than it does Tuesday afternoon.

By Thursday morning, more frost is possible. Then the pattern flips again as the weekend approaches, with warmth building, dew points rising and the warmest air of May so far arriving. A few clustered areas of storms may pop up at times, but many dry hours are still expected both days.

That matters at the track, where the forecast points to ideal conditions for Opening Day and the lead up to the 110th Running of the Indy 500. For now, the day begins with cool air and a clear sky, but the week will move quickly from spring warmth to a colder midweek snap before settling back into a warmer, more humid weekend.