Rainout (sports)
In the case of tennis, several venues (such as those of Wimbledon and the Australian Open) have built retractable roofs atop their existing courts and stadiums in the last decade to avert rain delays that could push a tournament further than the final date.
Association football generally plays on through rain, although matches can be abandoned if the pitch becomes severely waterlogged or there is lightning in the area, with the latter case being more for the protection of spectators within the metal stands surrounding stadiums.
In North America, the only one of the four major team sports to stop play due to rain is baseball, although football and soccer can be delayed if lightning is reported in the area.
Individual sports such as golf, tennis and auto racing are also subject to rainouts, in the last case because a wet racetrack poses a risk of hydroplaning for vehicles traveling at high speeds, the combination of which can be fatal.
Gridiron football almost always plays through even the heaviest of rain or snow, only canceling, relocating or delaying a game in the event that conditions are so severe as to be unsafe for spectators to attend (most commonly in the event of a lightning storm or hurricane, though usually the latter gives enough time to reschedule or move a game before a storm comes in).
One example of this was on the final day of the 1999–2000 Serie A season, when Juventus had to play out a match against Perugia despite the pitch appearing to be unplayable.
Umpires are required by rule to wait at least 75 minutes to see if conditions improve; this is referred to as a rain delay and is not counted as part of the length of the game listed in the box score.
If it has already begun and rain falls to make the field unplayable OR lightning is detected within the radius, several scenarios are used to determine the need to resume play: The scheduling of make up dates generally follow these guidelines: Some teams have built stadiums with a roof to protect the field, either as a domed stadium or with a retractable roof.
Very light moisture may warrant only a temporary yellow caution period, while heavier rains or lightning usually require a red flag (stopped condition).
After the rain ceases, the sanctioning body will determine if the track surface can be dried within a reasonable time frame.
The hot exhaust acts to quickly evaporate the rainwater, and allow the surface to dry considerably quicker than normal conditions.
The safety car driver will work with race stewards on the proper decision on a red flag when rain falls.
Typically, the race is considered "official" if at least one lap beyond the halfway point of the advertised distance has been completed (similar to baseball).
If the rain is severe enough where standing water, visibility becomes an issue, or if lightning is detected within a 12 km radius of the circuit, the race will be stopped.
They also stopped the 2018 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama before the halfway limit was reached because of heavy rain, and completed the race the next day.
INDYCAR also has cancelled qualifying at a circuit because of lightning, primarily as a safety issue with electronics, radio communications, teams on pit lane, race marshals, and spectators.
[10][11] The code in USAC, NASCAR, and IndyCar states if fewer than half the laps or time are completed or if the race is unable to start, the event is resumed on a later date, usually the next day.
With the introduction of lights at numerous oval tracks, the time frame for resuming a rain delayed race on the same day has been largely expanded.
[14] The 2019 Japanese Grand Prix saw the qualifying session moved to the race day morning due to Typhoon Hagibis, a first in Formula One history.
For instance, with Sunday afternoon NASCAR events and Saturday night NHL games, a race on a broadcast network such as Fox or NBC would be moved to an alternate cable network such as Fox Sports 1 or NBCSN if the delay runs several hours, to allow those networks to present their prime time entertainment schedules (or, in NBC's case, its late night show Saturday Night Live, which has been protected from sports-related delays since an incident with the XFL in 2001), or later in NASCAR's season with NBC, allows contingency as NBC Sunday Night Football takes full contractual precedence over NASCAR events.
The NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe games which were played in February 2021 were likewise delayed from their original daytime starts on NBC to late night on NBCSN unexpectedly, due to bright sunshine affecting the quality of the ice surface along the shoreline of Lake Tahoe.
