Wording not preserved
A initial alert message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.
FSU
Severe storm, September 20, 2025
AI-generated · every claim is source-linkedConfirmed 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
- 4
- Response
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- Killed
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~45,000 studentsFSU Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how FSU says it will use FSU ALERT: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline
Alert Sequence
4 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim
Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.
We're entering a weather delay at 4:53 PM.
Q2: | 2:29 KSU 7, FSU 35
#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing
Exact text from official @FSUFootball status; snowflake matches 4:53 PM EDT game-day delay
The weather delay will serve as halftime and the 2nd quarter will conclude after the delay.
#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing
Exact text from official @FSUFootball status announcing delay will serve as half
After a 5-minute warmup at 5:30, play will resume with 2:39 left in the second quarter.
#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing
Exact text from official @FSUFootball resume announcement
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
- News
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- Official
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Cite this case
Campus Alert Archive. "Florida State University: Severe storm, September 20, 2025." Incident of September 20, 2025. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/florida-state-doak-campbell-kent-state-lightning-delay-2025-09-20/
Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.
Tags
severe-stormlightningstadium-evacuationdoak-campbell-stadiumfootballflorida-statefsuaccweather-delaygame-daynon-violentpublic-r1
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion