How long are lightning delays in NCAA Softball Tournament? Weather policy, explained

How long are lightning delays in NCAA Softball Tournament? Weather policy, explained

At this time of the college softball season, especially once the NCAA Softball Tournament reaches Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series, weather is bound to be a factor in games.

Some of the most common types of weather delays in college softball are due to lightning and pop-up rainstorms, which can delay games for minutes — or hours. And because of the nature of the NCAA Softball Tournament, cancellations and postponements are not in play.

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Once a game has begun, it must be finished.

With the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament beginning with regional play on Friday, May 15 and concluding with the Women's College World Series in early June, there is ample opportunity for weather to, quite literally, rain on the college softball postseason.

Here's what to know on NCAA Softball Tournament and Women's College World Series weather delay protocols:

How long are lightning delays in NCAA softball?

NCAA rules state that once lightning is detected in the area and the game goes into a lightning delay, it is either delayed or suspended for 30 minutes. The 30-minute clock resets for every lightning strike within a six-mile radius following the initial strike, meaning delays can extend for several hours.

NCAA softball lightning delay policies

The NCAA mandates that if lightning strikes within at least six miles of an event venue, the game must be delayed or suspended. The NCAA uses the "flash-to-bang" method, meaning that if lightning is observed, officials must count the seconds until thunder is heard and divide the number of seconds by five to obtain the approximate distance in miles.

"To resume athletics activities, lightning safety experts recommend waiting 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and after the last flash of lightning is at least six miles away, and moving away from the venue," the NCAA states. "If lightning is seen without hearing thunder, lightning may be out of range and therefore less likely to be a significant threat.

"At night, be aware that lightning can be visible at a much greater distance than during the day as clouds are being lit from the inside by lightning. This greater distance may mean that the lightning is no longer a significant threat. At night, use both the sound of thunder and seeing the lightning channel itself to decide on when to reset the 30-minute return-to-play clock before resuming outdoor athletics activities."

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NCAA softball, WCWS weather policy

Considering the likelihood of weather delays, the NCAA has a fully written-out weather policy outlining what should happen in the event of a WCWS game delay.

Here's a closer look at the NCAA's weather policy for the NCAA Softball Tournament and the NCAA's other outdoor sports:

• No game will be skipped, meaning each game will continue in the order it is scheduled to play. If weather changes the date, the delayed/rescheduled game will still precede any future games.
• Tickets are good for the delayed/rescheduled game only. If the game date is moved due to weather, the ticket for the delayed/rescheduled game must be used.
• If a game is delayed, but resumed the same day, fans must present the mobile ticket for the delayed game to re-enter the stadium for the continuation of play.
• If a game is started then postponed to a new date/time, mobile tickets will be updated to reflect the new date/time. The updated mobile ticket will be scanned for re-entry into the stadium.
• In the event of a total game postponement to the following day, meaning the game did not begin at its scheduled time, mobile tickets will be updated to reflect the new date/time. The updated mobile ticket will be scanned for entry into the stadium.
• There are no refunds on tickets as all games will be played.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Softball Tournament lightning delay times, rules, protocols