Tonight's Game A Rainout?
UPDATE: Tonight's Rangers/Yankees game has been postponed. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday starting at 2:35 PM CST.
There's a nasty storm system currently moving in the Dallas/Fort Worth area right now, and most of north Texas is under a tornado watch until 10:00 PM tonight, including Arlington. Here's a radar image of the area as of 5:40 PM CST.
With just a little over an hour until first pitch and a dangerous weather system moving into the area, we're probably looking at a delay of at least 60 to 90 minutes at the outset of this game, and possibly a cancellation.
And as I speak, southern Tarrant County (Arlington) has just been placed under a tornado warning by the National Weather Service. With thousands of people headed into Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, this has turned into a very dangerous situation just since I began writing this. Stay tuned for updates.
6:00 Update: Multiple tornado touchdowns have been reported with the cells moving into the Metroplex, although nothing major has dropped. Northern Tarrant County has just been placed under a severe thunderstorm warning until 7:00 PM CST. It sounds like the biggest threat at this point is high winds, as 75-80+ MPH have been reported in this system near Weatherford. For those at the Ballpark, the concourses do not offer much protection, and I have to wonder what the team's emergency plan is.
6:10 Update: Mike Doocy on Fox 4 reports the Rangers have not postponed or delayed the game yet, but the storms are approaching. Small tornadoes are being reported just south of Arlington.
6:20 Update: The tarp is on the field at the Ballpark, and Chuck Morgan has announced on the PA that fans in the upper deck need to move down to lower seats. Tornado sirens are going off in south Fort Worth.
6:25 Update: 75 MPH winds reported by trained storm spotters in southwest Fort Worth. The sky over the Ballpark is getting increasingly nasty looking. Dallas County has just been placed under a severe thunderstorm warning until 7:30 PM CST.
6:30 Update: Chuck Morgan just told fans at the Ballpark to get out of their seats and into the main concourse, prompting a mass exodus of fans heading up the aisles. The tornado warning for southern Tarrant County has expired, but we're still looking at a very dangerous situation. The most dangerous storms appear to be south of the Metroplex, though, near Waxahachie. Rain has begun to fall at the Ballpark - I'm going to guess this game gets underway between 8:30 and 9:00, if at all.
6:40 Update: Sirens are now going off in northern Tarrant County, although there's no further reports of tornadic activity. Wind damage still appears to be a major threat as these storms push through. These storms are moving slower than I thought - I'll be very surprised if the Rangers get this game in. You also have to consider how long it'll take the grounds crew to prepare the field for the game if and when the storms move out. The tornado watch coverage area has also been expanded northward.
6:50 Update: Dallas County's severe thunderstorm warning has been extended to 7:30 PM CST, with the National Weather Service citing 90+ MPH winds as being possible. Further east in Kaufman/Rockwall/Henderson counties, 100+ MPH winds are being reported as possible, a number you rarely see in a NWS warning statement. That's the equivalent of an EF-1 tornado. This classic bow echo squall line is now headed towards my location in Tyler, so I'm starting to get concerned. Meanwhile, it looks like the wind and rain at the Ballpark has intensified, but it appears they're out of imminent danger. I believe John Vittas is there tonight; hope he's having fun.
7:00 Update: The major threat is now being focused towards my area. I'm not going to give further updates unless some news comes out about tonight's game status, or unless things get even more serious in my area. The NWS is putting out warnings in counties in front of the storms, something you rarely see unless it's a life-threatening situation. Stay tuned.
8:20 Update: Tonight's Rangers/Yankees game has been officially postponed. No real surprise there. In the meantime, the storm system is bearing down on the Tyler area. We're bracing for the worst.
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