The MLB Speedway Classic baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds was a well-predicted rainfest. So why did they try to play?
Most headlines will read that the Speedway Classic at the historic NASCAR track in Bristol, Tennessee experienced two rain delays, which forced Major League Baseball to postpone the game. It has been announced that the game will resume at 1 pm on Sunday. However, the meteorologist in me, and yes, I actually am one, knew that they would probably not get the game in Saturday night. Weather warning signs and forecasts were clear. Here’s a breakdown of why any narrative saying it “came without warning” or “there was no time to prepare for rain” is false.NWS Warned Of Rainfall In The Days And Hours Leading Up To The Game
In the NWS Morristown weather discussion on Friday morning, meteorologists wrote, “On Saturday, an inverted surface trough will be across the TN Valley, which should help convection develop in the afternoon. The surface trough retreats west on Sunday as the ridge strengthens, but rain chances persist with the approach of a shortwave trough and jet streak.” There is a lot of meteorological jargon there, but I will translate it. The surface and upper atmospheric conditions were primed for rainfall Saturday and into Sunday. Persistent cloud cover was draped across much of the Southeast and southern Appalachia on Saturday as a frontal system stretched across the region.
On Saturday morning at 7:55 am, NWS Morristown, the office responsible for the Bristol area, tweeted, “Rain showers with a few thunderstorms are expected to develop over us today, bringing rainfall and a low risk of flooding.
