Game delays for lightning may be annoying, but they save lives – a sports meteorologist explains the risk

Lightning delays at several college football games on Sept. 19, 2026, including Florida State-Alabama, drew fan anger, particularly at Bryant-Denny Stadium where no rain was falling at the time. A sports meteorologist explains that this is exactly the danger window, since most lightning injuries occur before rain starts or after it ends.

The piece cites 262 documented football-related lightning deaths and injuries in the U.S. from 1970 to 2023, including 12 people hurt near Tampa's Raymond James Stadium in 2014 and about 40 injured during a Texas high school practice in 2004. NCAA policy requires delays when lightning is detected within 8 miles and a 30-minute wait after the last flash, a rule in place since 1997.

A pending NCAA proposal to start the season a week earlier could push more games into peak lightning season, the piece notes, potentially increasing how often these delays occur.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.