Travelers Championship weather forecast: Friday tee times moved up

Friday’s second-round tee times at the Travelers Championship have been moved up one hour due to weather, PGA TOUR Communications announced Thursday. Heavy rain is slated to hit Connecticut on Friday afternoon, and the weekend could be soggy as well.

The first tee time will now be at 7:05 a.m. ET at TPC River Highlands; players will still compete in twosomes off No. 1 tee as originally scheduled. Will Zalatoris, who opened in 6-under 64, will play alongside Ben Griffin in the leadoff pairing.

Friday morning’s forecast calls for isolated showers and thunderstorms, with a 25% chance of rain. The forecast darkens for the afternoon, though, as a cold front is slated to enter from the north just after noon, with a 70% chance of rain. Expected rainfall is 0.5 to 1 inch, but some areas could see up to 2 inches, per the TOUR weather forecast.

“Severe cells are expected to produce prolific rainfall rates,” wrote the forecast.

The forecast improves for the weekend but still could be problematic. Saturday calls for a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, a percentage that increases to 50% in the afternoon. The same 30% to 50% range is slated for Sunday.

The silver lining: The Travelers’ limited field of 70 players offers greater flexibility for same-day rounds to be completed after a delay.

Here’s a look at the Travelers Championship’s day-by-day weather forecast:

• Friday morning: Isolated showers and thunderstorms, 25% chance of rain. Rainfall less than 0.1 inch. Low 69F. Winds N-NW moving W-NW, 3-7 mph.
• Friday afternoon: Heavy rain and thunderstorms likely, 70% chance of rain. Rainfall 0.5 to 1 inch. High 89F. Winds W-NW moving E-SE, 5-10 mph.
• Saturday morning: Few showers and thunderstorms, 30% chance of rain. Rainfall less than 0.1 inch. Low 66F. Winds E 4-8 mph.
• Saturday afternoon: Scattered thunderstorms, 50% chance of rain. Rainfall 0.25 to 0.5 inches. High 84F. Winds S 5-10 mph.
• Sunday: Few AM and scattered PM thunderstorms, 30% to 50% chance of rain. Rainfall 0.25 to 0.5 inches. High 89F, low 67F. Winds S 10-15 mph, afternoon gusts to 20 mph.