Lightning

Lightning is dangerous... it must NOT be ignored.

When you see lightning or hear thunder, regardless of how far away it may seem, your responsibility as a referee is to

  1. STOP the match immediately
  2. Advise players and team personnel to seek shelter

Tell them they may not return to the field without your approval. Note the time you stopped play. If they refuse to seek shelter, or they return to the field without your approval, submit a detailed Game Report.

"Lightning" is now defined as VISIBLE LIGHTNING, "SHEET LIGHTNING" (flashes of light behind or above the clouds) and THUNDER (sound). When it comes to threatening weather, always side with safety. For all uses of the word "lightning" on this page, remember...

LIGHTNING = "SHEET LIGHTNING" (flashes of light) = THUNDER (sound)

Michigan weather is often unpredictable. A storm can develop with little notice. Players, coaches and fans sometimes try to overlook the fact that serious injury, even death, can occur when lightning strikes. Although the chances of being hurt or killed by lightning remain small, the consequences are too great to ignore.

The safety of the players is always your PRIMARY concern.

  High School Matches  

Minimum delay:
30 minutes

MHSAA Policy - At the first occurrence of lightning (regardless of how far away it may appear), the referee shall suspend the match, and swiftly advise the teams to seek shelter. Fans may also be advised, though the referee is not obligated to make such notification. Players shall not return to the playing field until lightning has been absent from the sky for 30 minutes.

Example #1 - Lightning is first observed at 2:00 PM, and continues intermittently for several minutes... the last lightning strike is observed at 2:20. Players may return to the field no sooner than 2:50 (30 minutes later). However, just before the players are about to return to the field, lightning is again observed (at 2:34). Now, players may not return until 3:04 (30 minutes later).

Maximum stoppage time

  • If the match was regularly scheduled to start at 3:00 PM or earlier, your maximum stoppage time is 3 hours.
  • If the match was regularly scheduled to start between 3:01 PM and 6:59 PM, your maximum stoppage time is 1.5 hours.
  • If the match was regularly scheduled to start at 7:00 PM or after, your maximum stoppage time is 1 hour.

    Note... Consider these times to be accumulative. In other words, if the maximum stoppage time is 3 hours, and you return to play after waiting 2 hours 30 minutes, any further stoppage due to weather would cause you to suspend this match for today.

The decision to resume play after a suspension rests with the officials, after consulting both teams' coaches. If there is no consensus among the officials and coaches, the home team's desires are given priority consideration. The referee shall base his/her decision to resume play on the following factors (and in this order):

  1. Safety for players
  2. Liability for players
  3. Field conditions
  4. Future schedules (Can this match be rescheduled? ... Are there other matches to be played on this field today?)
  5. Need to play (Is this a play-off match?)
  6. The quality of other options
If players wish to return to the field early, advise the coach that players may not return until authorized by you. If the coach ignores you, report the incident to GLASRA's Assignor of High School Matches AND to the MHSAA through a written game report. The MHSAA will not tolerate abuse of our responsibility to assure the safety of players in the matter of lightning!
  USSF Matches  

Minimum delay:
30 minutes

Maximum accumulated stoppage time:
45 minutes

Example #2 - Lightning is first observed at 2:00 PM, and continues intermittently for several minutes... the last lightning strike is observed at 2:15. This match should be terminated upon seeing the lightning strike at 2:15 (because after you wait 30 minutes after 2:15, the total accumulated stoppage time will be 45 minutes).

Example #3 - Lightning is first observed at 2:00 PM. No further lightning is observed. You resume play 30 minutes later (at 2:30). If at ANY time you observe lightning again, this match should be terminated IMMEDIATELY (because after you wait another 30 minutes, the total accumulated stoppage time will exceed 45 minutes).

Tournaments - If the suspended match is part of a tournament (or is followed by several other matches on the same field), the referee should consult the tournament director.

Suspend or Terminate? - To "suspend" a match is to temporarily stop the match, with an expectation of resuming play at some later time or date (maybe within the hour... maybe the next day... maybe several days from now). To "terminate" a match is to consider the match "over and complete," with no expectation of resuming play at any later time or date. If the referee stops a match due to the weather, the league may later decide to resume the match at a later date. For this reason, the referee who stops a match due to the weather should always declare the match to be "suspended" due to the weather, and let the league decide what happens next.

Who won? - The referee never decides who won or lost a suspended or terminated match. That decision rests solely with the league. The referee merely declares the match "suspended" or "terminated," and reports to the league administrator the reason for suspension/termination, the score of the match and the time (when within the course of the match) it was suspended/terminated.

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