September 9, 2019

September 7, 2019: Lightning storm sends Cal-Washington football game into lengthy delay

The unprecedented game delay of 2-hours and 38-minutes meant that the game did not end until after1am the next morning.  Local news coverage reported that fewer than 10,000 fans remained to watch the game’s conclusion.  A record number of lightning strikes in Western Washington, along with brief heavy rainfall, thunder and winds, caused localized flooding, power outages and traffic accidents.  Along with UWEM employees working in the EOC supporting every home football game, expert meteorology staff from the local National Weather Service Office at Sandpoint, were present to give minute-by-minute spot weather forecasts to the Stadium Command Post in support of the response.  Power spikes and temporary loss of stadium lights provided a challenging night of response.  To make matters worse, the #14-ranked UW team lost to Cal by a score of 19-20.