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‘One Strike, You’re Out,’ Lightning hits MLB stadiums more often than you may think

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Baseball Stadium

Summary

Over 700 lightning strikes happened at an unsafe distance in three seasons. Protect fans, players, and staff from severe weather, and manage operations ahead of changing conditions with AccuWeather For Business.

Key Highlights

Nearly one in every 14 MLB games has lightning within an unsafe distance

In September 2022, lightning struck Yankee Stadium

Thunderstorms produce up to 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes across the U.S. each year

A WIDE STRIKE ZONE

With the start of the Major League Baseball season, the safety of players and fans is top of mind, especially regarding the weather. A recent study found that nearly one in every 14 MLB games has lightning within an unsafe distance. Out of 10,000 games played between 2016 - 2019, lightning hit at an unsafe distance of 8 miles or less more than 700 times. This puts the potential of a lightning casualty event at high risk because millions of people are sitting outside watching these games being played.  In April 2022, a father and daughter were struck by lightning, leaving a spring training game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The pair spent two days in the hospital. In September 2022, a game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox was delayed after lightning struck Yankee Stadium. 

Baseball kicks off several outdoor events in the spring and summer, including concerts. In July 2013, a Pearl Jam concert at Chicago’s Wrigley Field was delayed for three hours after a massive thunderstorm, complete with lightning moved across the stadium. 

It’s never a matter of if, but when severe weather will impact a venue.

Stadium safety crews and live event coordinators need to ahead plan to handle severe weather-related events, including lightning strikes. Each year, thunderstorms produce up to 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes across the U.S. AccuWeather For Business has the tools needed to keep your attendees and staff safe. 

Superior Accuracy™: Better informed, Better protected, Better prepared

Be proactive with AccuWeather SkyGuard WarningsⓇ backed by Superior Accuracy, which will deliver site-specific alerts and warnings well before severe weather hits, giving you the much-needed time to prepare. 

AccuWeather’s SkyGuard Warnings help you protect guests, staff, and talent as well as equipment and rigging before severe weather rolls in. We provide customized warnings specific to your venue locations and the severe weather threats that could impact safety and operations not only for lighting but also for high winds, heat, heavy rainfall, tornadoes, and more. 

SkyGuard® Warnings service benefits: 


  • A team of expert severe weather meteorologists watching out for you, your guests, employees, and your venue 24x7x365 
  • A secure, customized weather portal available on your mobile device and the web with real-time lightning radar, damage reports, and actionable SkyGuard warnings for your location that sync to your venue’s event action plan
  • Venue-specific warnings that offer advanced notice before disruptive weather hits
  • All-clear notifications that minimize weather-related downtime so you can get the event resumed safely 
  • On-demand consultation with expert meteorologists to give you up-to-the-minute updates and the confidence to make decisions in a weather emergency
  • Reviewed Tornado Notifications alert you when a tornado isn’t threatening your assets

How SkyGuard® Warnings are different:


  • SkyGuard warnings are issued by AccuWeather expert meteorologists, not repackaged government warnings created for public use 
  • SkyGuard warnings provide up to twice as much advance notice compared to other sources 
  • SkyGuard warnings greatly reduce false alarms, minimizing service interruptions and ultimately saving time and money 
  • SkyGuard warnings advise you when a government-issued tornado warning is in effect, but the tornado does not pose a direct threat to your operations
  • SkyGuard warnings must be acknowledged; If not, an AccuWeather meteorologist will follow up to ensure you are aware 
  • SkyGuard warnings are global and can cover organizations with multiple assets and locations

Protect fans, talent, and staff from severe weather, manage operations, prepare equipment and rigging ahead of changing conditions, and postpone rather than cancel - all with SkyGuard. Contact us today for a SkyGuard demo. 

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Protect fans, talent, and staff from the dangers of severe weather.

Demo SkyGuard today. 

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