From radar to rain delays: weather and baseball

AccuWeather

AccuWeather's Ali Reid discusses how Major League ballparks track weather, prepare the field and make game-time decisions before the first pitch.

Transcript

00:00Before the first pitch is thrown, Major League ballparks across the country are already hard at work,

00:05tracking weather, prepping the field, and making game-time decisions long before the fans arrive.

00:12Our Allie Reed is live this morning from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia

00:15with a behind-the-scenes look at how stadium crews handle everything from heat waves to rain delays.

00:21Good morning, Allie.

00:26Good morning, guys.

00:27It feels like a perfect morning for a little baseball live from Citizens Bank Park here in Philadelphia yesterday.

00:34Maybe not the best day.

00:35In fact, it was yesterday's weather that game-time officials said,

00:39you know what, we need to cancel yesterday's game.

00:42They postponed it to today, which means the weather quite literally caused a doubleheader leading into today.

00:49So that just goes to show you that when it comes to the forecast,

00:52MLB decisions are really led up to what happens day-to-day with the weather.

00:59Now, here at Citizens Bank Park across Philadelphia and really across any MLB stadium here in the United States,

01:07grounds crews and operations teams rely heavily not only on radar,

01:11but also coordination with league officials and some fast-moving teamwork to make the call on whether to play ball or hit pause.

01:19Now, behind the scenes, as game day preparations on the field begin, officials are locked into weather data,

01:26radar updates and model forecasts, all to keep the game safe and on schedule.

01:31Now, as storms build or temperatures store, communication intensifies, right?

01:36Often spanning multiple calls, live radar reads as conditions shift hour by hour.

01:42That's exactly what happened yesterday.

01:44And for stadium staff, there's no such thing as a routine day when weather is on the move.

01:50And so far today, I've had a weather call at 1130.

01:53I've had a call with MLB at around noon.

01:56And then I have another weather call at 2 today.

01:58Really, I live pretty much in the moment because, as you know, weather can change all the time.

02:04So, I mean, and that's why you're calling constantly to find out what's going on.

02:08Are we still looking at we're going to have thunderstorms rolling at 6 to push back a little?

02:12Because, as you know, I mean, we're going off in bottles.

02:19That real-time coordination drives decisions like when to irrigate the outfield,

02:24lay down fresh dirt on the infield, or cover the mound.

02:27On rain days, tarps are rolled out in seconds to protect the playing surface,

02:31while officials assess whether a delay, postponement, or full cancellation is the safest option.

02:36Whether it's triple-digit heat or approaching lightning,

02:40stadiums rely on weather precision to protect players, fans, and, of course, the game itself.

02:46Again, talk about a perfect day.

02:48You couldn't ask for a better live story when you're dealing with that postponement yesterday leading into today.

02:55A doubleheader here at Citizens Bank Park.

02:58All do, guys.

02:59Let me emphasize the weather.

03:01And you know what?

03:04I'm sure the vending machines aren't open, or the restaurants aren't open yet,

03:09but if they were, I'd get a Philadelphia cheesesteak.

03:12Or some crab fries.

03:13Something like that, yeah.

03:16Some Chickies and Pete's, maybe some Tony Luke's.

03:19Yeah, you know, the use.

03:21Food, food, food, food, food.

03:22All right, Allie.

03:23Thank you, Allie.

03:24Let's take a look at the weather for the doubleheader here.

03:27You can see our first game around the 1 o'clock time period.

03:30We're still going to be holding on to clouds.

03:32Should be clearing as we head into the second game there, starting at 6.15.

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