Campus Alert Archive
FSU

Florida Logged 263 Hours of Lightning Warnings in 2025. The Seminoles Got One of Them at 4:53 PM.

FLsevere stormemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

At 4:53 PM EDT on September 20, 2025, game officials suspended play between No. 9 Florida State and Kent State at Doak Campbell Stadium after lightning was detected within eight miles of the venue. The Seminoles led 35-7 with 2:39 remaining in the first half when fans were directed to safe areas; the delay was treated as halftime and play resumed at 5:35 PM EDT. Per FSU's 2025 Vaisala Xweather report, Doak Campbell logged 263 hours of lightning warning time during the 2025 season — one of the most weather-disrupted stadiums in the country.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Florida State University
Public R1 · FL
~45,000 studentsFSU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPA System
Approximate reconstruction140 chars
Lightning has been detected within 8 miles of Doak Campbell Stadium. Please leave the seating areas immediately and move to a safe location.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed PA evacuation announcement matching the [4:53 PM EDT suspension time](https://247sports.com/college/florida-state/longformarticle/florida-state-seminoles-football-kent-state-golden-flashes-game-updates-254221570/) and the 8-mile detection threshold required by ACC and NCAA protocol
WTXL Tallahassee [reported](https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/fsu-kent-state-game-in-weather-delay) that 'fans in the stands were asked to get to safe areas' — consistent with the standard FSU game-day evacuation script
Doak Campbell Stadium [seats 75,000+](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doak_Campbell_Stadium); the open seating bowl provides no overhead protection so the concourse and stairwells are the primary on-site shelter
UPDATETwitter/X
Approximate reconstruction152 chars
Today's game has been suspended due to lightning within 8 miles of Doak Campbell Stadium. Please remain in a safe location until the all-clear is given.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed @FSUFootball social-media weather-hold message consistent with the [On3 game-status coverage](https://www.on3.com/news/kent-state-at-florida-state-weather-delay-when-week-4-game-will-resume/)
FSU's [official lightning protocol page](https://emergency.fsu.edu/resources/emergency-action-guides-eags/lightning) cites the same 8-mile detection threshold and 30-minute reset clock used by the ACC
FSU Alert is the campus-wide mass-notification system but on game day the operational messaging runs through the PA, videoboard, and @FSUFootball / [@FSUAlert](https://x.com/fsualert) social channels
ALL CLEARPA System+37 min
Approximate reconstruction130 chars
The all-clear has been given. Please return to your seats. The weather delay will serve as halftime; play will resume at 5:35 p.m.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed restart announcement matching the [Tomahawk Nation coverage](https://www.tomahawknation.com/florida-state-football-fsu-seminoles-college-cfb-acc-norvell-team-roster-schedule-game/118969/kent-golden-flashes-weather-delay-score-stats) and the explicit halftime-substitution decision
FSU's announcement [stated explicitly](https://bluewaterhealthyliving.com/news/national-news/florida/fsu-vs-kent-state-weather-updates-game-resumes-after-lightning-delay/) that the weather delay would serve as halftime — an operational decision that compressed the schedule by about 12 minutes
Total delay from 4:53 PM EDT to 5:35 PM EDT was approximately 42 minutes — broadly consistent with a single 30-minute lightning reset plus warm-up
Context

Background

Doak Campbell Stadium — formally Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium — is Florida State University's 75,000-plus-seat football venue in Tallahassee, and the Sunshine State's geography makes it one of the most lightning-prone college venues in the country. The Vaisala Xweather 2025 Annual Lightning Report ranked Doak Campbell among the top stadiums for total lightning warning hours, logging 263 hours during the 2025 season. The September 20, 2025 game against Kent State was suspended at 4:53 PM EDT with FSU leading 35-7 and 2:39 remaining in the first half. Fans were directed to safe areas as lightning was detected within eight miles of the stadium — the ACC and NCAA standard threshold for immediate suspension. FSU officials made the operational decision to treat the delay as halftime, resuming play at 5:35 PM EDT — a 42-minute total delay. Florida State went on to win 66-10 in a record-breaking performance. The decision to substitute the lightning hold for halftime is permitted by NCAA rules when both head coaches and game officials agree; it compresses the schedule by approximately 12 minutes (the standard halftime length) and avoids extending the total game time. The September 20 delay came in the same weekend as Notre Dame-Purdue and Clemson-Syracuse delays, one of the most lightning-disrupted weekends of the 2025 college football season.
Analysis

Key Findings

FSU's decision to use the lightning hold as halftime — an explicit operational choice — compressed the schedule by approximately 12 minutes and is one of the cleanest examples of integrated weather-and-broadcast game-day decision-making in 2025
Doak Campbell Stadium logged 263 hours of lightning warning time in 2025 per Vaisala Xweather — among the most weather-disrupted college venues in the country
FSU Alert is the campus mass-notification system, but game-day operational messaging runs through the PA, videoboard, and @FSUFootball / @FSUAlert social channels — a separation common across SEC and ACC programs
The September 20 delay coincided with delays at Notre Dame Stadium (vs Purdue) and Clemson's Memorial Stadium (vs Syracuse) — three of the same weekend's lightning-suspended FBS games
Outcome
Game resumed at 5:35 PM EDT; the weather hold served as halftime. Florida State won 66-10 in a record-breaking performance.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    UPDATE: FSU, Kent State resume play after weather delay (WTXL)
    wtxl.com
  2. News
    FSU 35, Kent State 7: Game delayed due to weather (Tomahawk Nation)
    tomahawknation.com
  3. News
    Kent State at Florida State weather delay: When Week 4 game will resume (On3)
    on3.com
  4. News
    Live Updates: No. 7 Florida State 66, Kent State 10 - FINAL (247Sports)
    247sports.com
  5. News
    FSU gets a record-breaking, weather-delayed victory Saturday (WFSU News)
    news.wfsu.org
  6. News
    Different state overtakes Florida as lightning capital (CBS12 — Vaisala Xweather 2025 report)
    cbs12.com
  7. Official
    FSU Lightning Emergency Action Guide (FSU Emergency Management)
    emergency.fsu.edu
Tags
severe-stormlightningstadium-evacuationdoak-campbell-stadiumfootballflorida-statefsuaccweather-delaygame-daynon-violentpublic-r1
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion