Longest weather delay in college football is 3 hours and 55 minutes between TCU and Kansas State in 2017. NFL games delayed by lightning arose in September 2020.

The kickoff between TCU Horned Frogs and Kansas City was scheduled for 11:05 am. Due to lightning, the planned time saw a delay of 30 minutes.

With more lightning in the area, the clock saw more resets. At 2 p.m., the match began but another thunderous strike in the area resulted in a hold-up in the fourth quarter.

The match was finally over at 6:15 p.m. when the Horned Frogs secured a victory of 26-6 against Kansas State, reports FOX Sports. It broke the record for the longest delay in college football, previously held by the contest between Texas and TCU.

The fixture was held at the Amon G. Carter Stadium on 27th October 2013. The three-hour postponement was due to lightning, reports CBS News. Texas won with a margin of 30-7.

College Football Games Postponed

Football games postponed due to weather are subject to climatic hazards. Hurricanes, snowstorms, and thunderstorms are key contributing factors.

The Michigan State-Penn State contest in 2017 was subjected to a weather delay. It lasted for 6 hours and 58 minutes. Another 110-minute halt occurred in 2016’s tie between Wyoming and Northern Illinois.

Other include:

However, there have been no Super Bowl weather delays to this date. A close one is the 1988 NFL Divisional Playoff Game which was sported in one of the worst climatic circumstances. The tie between Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears held on 31st December is called ‘The Fog Bowl.’

The low visibility due to fog in the field recalls as one of the most bizarre experiences.

Similarly, baseball also experiences such experiences as rain and thunderstorm halts its processing. The rain pour of 7th June 1965 accounts for the college world series weather delay. Due to that, two contests were hosted on 8th June, reports The Tennessean.

Likewise, CWS Finals Game 2 was also halted because of rain.

⚾️ #CWS GAME UPDATE ⚾️

CWS Finals Game 2 is under a weather delay due to rain and will begin at a time TBD.

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 29, 2021

College Football Game Cancelled

College football games cancelled due to weather are common in comparison to NFL. Lightning is the only calamity that can result in the abandonment of a matchup.

Most college football fields are open. They lack the necessary infrastructures to tackle every climate scenario, while NFL stadiums have a bigger budget and can implement every necessary safety measure.

Because of that, canceling college ties seems wise, especially if it is a non-conference schedule. One such event occurred in 2017 when Miami abandoned its journey to Arkansas State.

Hurricane Irma was the main culprit. Because of the incident, Arkansas State University sued the University of Miami for $650,000, reports SBNation.

Some other cases of canceled ties are:

• UCLA Vs. Miami 1998 – Threat of Hurricane Georges
• Tulane Vs. Southern Mississippi 2005 – Hurricane Katrina
• McNeese State Vs. Cal Poly 2008 – Hurricane Ike
• Texas Vs. Arkansas 2008 – Hurricane Ike
• Florida Gators Vs. Idaho 2014 – Lightning
• McNeese State Vs. LSU 2015 – Lightning
• Northern Colorado Vs. Florida 2017 – Hurricane Irma
• Florida Vs. Louisiana-Monroe 2017 – Hurricane Irma

How Long Can A Football Game Be Delayed For Weather?

The longest time a football game can be delayed for weather depends on the gravity of the situation. It can last for approximately a couple of hours.

The major scenario taken into account while calling for a delay in the kickoff time is the safety of players and others involved. The extreme weather situation falls under Article 4 of the NFL rule book.

As per the 2022 NFL Rulebook, emergency situations, namely lightning, flooding, extreme atmospheric conditions, and power failure, can cause delays in the commencement of the fixture. It mentions that all fixtures must reach a conclusion, except in emergency situations.

The Commissioner and other appointed representatives are the governing bodies who inspect the situation and take necessary actions. They are also given the power to call off the match.

The Referee gets the duty to authorize delays in the match if the Commissioner or the representatives are not in attendance. For that, he needs to consult with the primary authorized personnel through any means and come to a conclusion.

Moved NFL Games Due To Weather

NFL games moved due to weather dates back to 1989. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake shifted the contest from Candlestick Park to Stanford University.

As mentioned in an earlier section, extreme weather cases are exceptions for rescheduling or cancellation of events. The majority of such incidents are the result of hurricanes, lightning, and freezing temperatures.

Games Cancelled

NFL games cancelled due to weather are zero. There is no such protocol for cancellation as the NFL Rulebook states that all games must reach to a conclusive end.

It means that extreme climatic scenarios can impact the matchday but it does not necessarily result in abandonment. Instead, the location or date is advanced to another point. Doing so eventually solves the crisis and each and every matchday bears the result.

However, it was before the standardization of league schedules in 1993. Before that, to avoid playing, teams would cancel their matchups as there was no inclusion of penalty or punishment.

Boston Redskins Vs. Philadelphia Eagles contest is the last one recorded. The event from 1935 was scraped as the field was unable to host the tie due to snow and rain.

Following that, the era with the regulation of the league schedule omitted such acts. The hazardous climatic scenario would now be averted with deferral. 

Hurricane Andrew caused the rescheduling of the contest between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots in 1992, reports Yahoo Sports. Likewise, Hurricane Charley was the culprit behind the suspension of the 2004’s tie between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here are some major incidents that led to the postponement of NFL matchups:

• San Diego Chargers Vs. Miami Dolphins 2003 – Cedar Fire
• Tennessee Titans Vs. Miami Dolphins 2004 – Hurricane Ivan
• Pittsburgh Steelers Vs. Miami Dolphins 2004 – Hurricane Jeanne
• New Orleans Saints Vs. New York Giants 2005 – Hurricane Katrina
• Kansas City Chiefs Vs. Miami Dolphins 2005 – Hurricane Wilma
• Houston Texans Vs. Baltimore Ravens 2008 – Hurricane Ike
• Minnesota Vikings Vs. New York Giants 2010 – Severe Storm Causing the Collapse of stadiums roof
• Minnesota Vikings Vs. Philadelphia Eagles 2010 – Severe Snowstorm
• Buffalo Bills Vs. New York Giants – Severe Snowstorm
• Dallas Cowboys Vs. Houston Texans 2017 – Hurricane Harvey
• Miami Dolphins Vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2017 – Hurricane Irma
• Arizona Cardinals Vs. New Orleans Saints 2021 – Hurricane Ida
• Buffalo Bills Vs. Cleveland Browns 2022 – Severe Winter Storm

Games Delayed Due To Lightning

NFL games delayed by lightning accord for a suspension of 30 minutes. The 30-minute rule discloses the stoppage of play if lightning appears within a 10-mile radius of the stadium.

Because of this policy, with every new lightning, the clock is reset for another half an hour.

If the play is continued while the area is experiencing lightning, it can hit the metallic face mask worn by players and other metallic instruments resulting in fatal injury and death. The spectators and all other people are taken indoors as a safety protocol.

So, it becomes necessary to consider the safety of everyone as the primary thing.

Some of the clashes that resulted in the setback and caused the interruption in play are:

NCAA Football Delay Rules Due To Lightning

NCAA football lightning delay rules have a provision of a 30-minute rule. It is similar to NFL.

Any occurrence of lightning within a 15-mile radius alerts the referees. If the same happens in the 10-mile radius of the field, it triggers the initiation of the Lightning Safety protocol.

A separate section is present in Chapter 1 of the Sports Medicine Guidelines published by the NCAA. It provides a piece of detailed information regarding the weather hazard and the step-by-step instruction to deal with it.

Likewise, one would expect to know about college football rain delay rules. But, there are none. Since football is an outdoor sport, players need to play in heavy rain and snowy settings.

The NCAA rule book only mentions the stoppage of active play in case of hurricanes and thunderstorms. Besides that, the play must be conducted in other scenarios.

However, if the infrastructure of the field does not support fast drainage and rainwater is pooled in the field, it can be designated as an unplayable environment. In such cases, the tie can result in a halt and its continuation can be done once the crisis is averted.

So far, no such cases have been reported where the active play has been stopped due to rain. But, keeping the college athletes’ health in check, the officials can assess the circumstance and make rightful decisions.