PITTSBURGH — The weather in the Pittsburgh area in late April can be a wild card, ranging from sunshine to surprise snow and sometimes severe storms. When fans descend on the North Shore and Point State Park for the draft, they’ll also get a taste of our weather.
Pittsburgh’s Chief Meteorologist Stephen Cropper talked with the NFL about their severe weather plans.
Pittsburgh NFL Draft: What you need to know
Two footprints make up the ultimate outdoor stage. On one side of the river, the Draft Theater and main stage. On the other side, the massive NFL Draft Experience at the Point. If the weather is safe, the show will go on- rain or shine.
“So if it’s raining, if it’s snowing, as long as it’s a safe environment, these are football fans, so we’re going to proceed with this event no matter what,” CEO of Visit Pittsburgh Jerad Bacher said.
NFL Director of Event Operations Steven Farago said the same.
“From a weather perspective, anything outside of severe weather, if it’s just rain, we’re gonna operate,” Farago said. “Football’s played in the rain.”
But lightning and damaging winds are dangerous for outdoor stages and packed fan zones, and the NFL has a detailed weather plan to let fans know what’s coming and where to go to stay safe.
“In the instance where we might be experiencing or anticipating severe weather, again, similar to what I said earlier, just working with all public safety, NFL security, we have contingency plans in place and we’d be proactive,” Farago said.
It starts with real-time weather updates. The NFL is teaming up with meteorologists to track weather changes 24-7.
“If they get to a situation where the weather conditions just look like they’re going to be unfavorable or unsafe, we’ll make sure we’re communicating that to fans,” Bacher said.
Instant alerts will be sent through the NFL OnePass and video boards, along with announcements of what to do and where to go.
“Tere’s a litany of assets, and again, levers that we can pull to make sure that any of that messaging is given out in real time and with an advance notice to keep everybody safe,” Farago said.
For severe storms with lightning and damaging winds, the draft moves indoors.
“If there is inclement weather, if there’s weather that’s unsafe for football fans, this will go to a studio environment rather than being a live on-stage environment,” Bacher said.
Fans move to designated shelters on the north shore and downtown to stay safe.
“We’ve identified safety structures, working again with the city and some of these existing hardened structures to put those plans in place,” Farago said.
There’s a lot of ground to cover at the NFL Draft and the best way to protect yourself and your draft day experience is to be weather aware before you arrive. Have a plan and know where to go to stay safe.
“The one good thing about the weather, although you can’t control it, you can usually know when it’s coming, right?” Farago said.
The best advice is to plan.
The NFL will not let you bring umbrellas, but you can bring rain gear and extra layers for temperature swings.
Check the forecast and stay ahead of what’s coming with the Severe Weather Team 11 app.
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