Lightning strikes ahead of Seahawks’ first preseason game
Aug 14, 2015, 12:49 PM | Updated: Aug 15, 2015, 9:12 am
Fans wait out a lightning delay during the first half of an NFL preseason football game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, in Denver. (AP)
(AP)
A thunderstorm rolling through the Puget Sound area on Friday produced 650 lightning strikes ahead of the Seahawks’ first preseason game against the Denver Broncos.
Lightning strikes were forecast all evening through about 8 p.m. in Seattle.
Only the NFL commissioner, or a designated authority, can cancel a football game. If a game is postponed for a reason such as lightning, game officials consult with meteorologists to determine the duration of the inclement weather.
“These thunderstorms are producing a lot of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes,” said Jeff Michalski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
Michalski said that the storms are affecting the I-5 corridor from Chehalis to Bellingham, with the most concentrated activity from Chehalis to Olympia. The storm is expected to push to the eastern part of the state by Friday evening.
The same game was delayed last year in Denver due to lightning passing through the area.
According to the Denver Post, the Aug. 7, 2014 game between the Seahawks and the Broncos was delayed by 45 minutes during the first quarter because lightning was moving through the area. The teams returned to the field by 8:20 p.m., had a 10 minute warm up, then resumed play.
