Storm Suspends Football Game
November 18, 2010
Photographer: Jake Deremer
Summary Author: Matt Schuchardt; Jim Foster
The photo above shows the approach of a nasty looking storm cloud that brought a halt to the football game between Kansas State University and the University of Central Florida. The game was played in Manhattan, Kansas on September 25, 2010. This eye-catching cloud appears to be a shelf cloud (arcus cloud) which can form when a downdraft within a severe thunderstorm hits the surface, forcing up the warm, humid air ahead of it. Torrential rain will not stop a football game but lightning and damaging winds will. Of course, for any outdoor activity or ballgame, when storms are in the vicinity, safety (not the two-point kind) of the fans and participants is of utmost concern. This game was suspended for about 90 minutes during the first quarter. When play was resumed, the purple clad K-State Wildcats clawed past the Knights in the final minute by a score of 17-13.