Worst Weather

[gh]

Twice, there were absolutely torrential rain storms during the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge ('73 and '81 IIRC). Fortunately, they both passed in less than an hour and competition resumed.
...

Yeah, but in both instances it was nice and warm (although the lightning in the '81 version perhaps threatened to make it more than warm!) even though it was very wet. And once you're wet, you're wet. I'd consider those neither the worst NCAA weather nor even the worst Louisiana weather we've sat through.

Worst NCAA has to be Provo '82 when the sleet started driving down (Provo '75 also had quite the gully-washer). What compounded the problem there was that there was no way BYU was going to have any Sunday competition, so the meet was going to keep going on, no matter what.

Worst Louisiana, methinks, is the '98 USATF in New Orleans where it was so horridly hot & humid. Every 15 minutes I'd go to the bathroom and soak my shirt in the sink then put it on and go back to the stands.

[lonewolf]

[Worst Louisiana, methinks, is the '98 USATF in New Orleans where it was so horridly hot & humid. Every 15 minutes I'd go to the bathroom and soak my shirt in the sink then put it on and go back to the stands.

I believe that was the meet where the notion to have officials wear the blue blazer throughout the competition was abandoned early on after a couple of heat collapses.

[kuha]

Zurich in '89 had a big storm hit at the end of the meet. There was supposed to be a big 5000 head-to-head between Ngugi and Aouita, but all Aouita had to do was take shelter behind Ngugi and outkick him. The high jump bed blew away during the course of the race!!!

Zurich '94 was somewhat similar. A 5000 record attempt by Morceli was rained out, unfortunately. I'm convinced he could have set the WR in anything approaching good conditions...

[tlb747]

The 1999 Penn Relays had the worst weather I ever ran in a track meet. On that Friday afternoon, I was getting ready for the 1600 meter realy when it starts to sprinkle. A few heats were run already so they avoided the rain. By the time my heat started, the rain was a down-pour and it was worse by the time I received the baton (since I was the last leg). All I could see was one person in front of me (unfortunately, six people were in front of me). The only thing I could do was follow the person in front of me to see where I was going because I did not want to hit the railing on the track. Fortunately, I was able to pass the person in front of me and we ran a season's worst 3:13 in the 1600 meter relay. The next day, my coach was able to put our team in another relay race (with the Olympic Development heat) and we ran our season's best of 3:03.94 and took fourth in the race. Team Addidas' 2:58 was too fast for us, but it fun running with the big guys.

[Helen S]

I worked a summer AAU meet in Hampton one year when mid afternoon temps were around 100, with humidity around 95%. We alternated every other event with two full teams of finish line personnel.
You can always put more clothes on when it is cold out.

[ndamix]

Another bad weather meet that came to mind was the 2003 CIAA Champs in Charlotte, NC. It rain'd so bad that weekend, the shot impact area was actually under an inch or so of water. The decision was made to proceed with the shot. The funny thing was the only way the shots could be located in the impact area was by the bubbles it made once it land'd. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Shoulda brought a rod & reel for that one. :lol:

Contrast w/ the 2006 USATF Masters Outdoor Champs (also in Charlotte) where the heat/humidity index was so high, the city fire marshal came out and declared the meet was over (the Games Committee decided to continue the competition once the sun went down and tempratures cool'd a bit).

First time I've ever been to a meet call'd due to it being too hot & humid.

[highjumpfan]

one year at the raleigh relays, the tornado sirens sounded during the steeple, and one of the barriers actually blew over. Of course an hour or so later it was sunny and 70 again.

[donley2]

The worst heat/humidity combo I have ever experienced at a track meet (and indeed anywhere) was at 88 Oly trials in Indy. One day for an hour or two it was very very close to 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity. I was at the meet in New Orleans in 1998. It was certainly very hot and humid, but those couple hours in Indy are worse than anything I remember from New Orleans. I think I have avoided most of the gully washing rains except a brief one during the Rome 87 world champs. They ran the mens Decathlon 400 in a rather intense rain.

[Double R Bar]

Yes, I remember that decathlon 400 in the rain in Rome (1987). I also remember walking out of the stadium after that race and it was like walking through a lake. If you go to enough meets, you'll eventually run into some good rain stories. Remember all the rain in Helsinki in 2005?

[tandfman]

The worst heat/humidity combo I have ever experienced at a track meet (and indeed anywhere) was at 88 Oly trials in Indy. One day for an hour or two it was very very close to 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity.

I thought it was actually over 100 degrees one day. It was awfully hot.

[RAP]

I would normally pick any one of many days at the Penn Relays but the day that stands out for me was at Knoxville in the '80s. I drove down from Maryland and the temp was projected to be in the 75-80 range. Lo and behold, in the afternoon the temp dropped and dropped and dropped. Everyone was so cold (nobody had any cold-weather gear with them). Lots of folks left early. I left and made a dash to the nearest store that sold sweat suits/coats and purchased same then returned to the stadium. It was almost empty. Surely some of you out there remember that meet. I mean it got really really cold. Totally unexpected.

[donley2]

The worst heat/humidity combo I have ever experienced at a track meet (and indeed anywhere) was at 88 Oly trials in Indy. One day for an hour or two it was very very close to 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity.

I thought it was actually over 100 degrees one day. It was awfully hot.

Yea wunderground.com shows the high on July 15 as 102. It does not back up my story on the humidity however as it "only" showed 37% when it was 100. I have experienced 100+ many many times, but I still remember that being the most humid feeling 100 I can ever remember.

[Double R Bar]

Yes, the 1988 trials were hot and humid, however I remember the 1992 trials in New Orleans as being pretty warm, too. I've never been to a meet in Death Valley, but the heat in New Orleans was pretty close (I know Death Valley has very little humidity and no track).

[tandfman]

I would normally pick any one of many days at the Penn Relays but the day that stands out for me was at Knoxville in the '80s. I drove down from Maryland and the temp was projected to be in the 75-80 range. Lo and behold, in the afternoon the temp dropped and dropped and dropped. Everyone was so cold (nobody had any cold-weather gear with them). Lots of folks left early. I left and made a dash to the nearest store that sold sweat suits/coats and purchased same then returned to the stadium. It was almost empty. Surely some of you out there remember that meet. I mean it got really really cold. Totally unexpected.

The first time I was ever in Seattle was in 1971 for the NCAA's. This was before it was easy to check 5-day weather forecasts on the Internet. It was June and I just assumed that the weather would be what I'd expect anywhere else in the country at that time of year--reasonably mild. Wrong! It was much colder than I anticipated and I, too, ended up buying some warm clothing, including a jacket, from a local shop.

[donley2]

AHA this article http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/16/sport ... -heat.html quotes 103 degrees and 56 % humidity. That would be a heat humidity index in the 130's. So I think I may not be misrembering Indy 88.