WEATHER

Field Closures

The Park District of Oak Park maintains a hotline for field conditions. If you are concerned about whether a game will be cancelled, please call the hotline at 708.524.0273.

Cancellation

Decisions regarding canceling games will rest with the umpire and coaches at game time based on weather and field conditions. If a game is cancelled or if the Umpire postpones a game due to weather, Coaches should contact the league president to assign another date, time and location for the game to be completed. The president will contact both coaches with available dates. The coaches are responsible for working out a date and then contacting the president with the agreed upon date. The president will schedule the date, then confirm the date, location and time with both coaches and an umpire. In the event of postponed games, the game will be resumed from the point where it was postponed unless the game is considered complete, meaning 4 innings have been played or 3 1/2 if the home team is winning.

Lightning Guidelines

Safety is the number one priority. No lightning safety guidelines can guarantee absolute safety. All Coaches, Umpires and Parents must be aware of weather conditions, and use common sense and good judgment. The Umpire has absolute authority to call a game due to lightning.

The National Severe Storm Laboratory recommends terminating play and seeking shelter when lightning is 6 miles away or flash-to-bang time is 30 seconds or less. To use the flash-to-bang method, count the seconds from the time lightning is sighted to when the clap of thunder is heard. Divide this number by 5 to obtain how many miles away the lightning is occurring.

If lightning is seen, all must wait in a safe area for 30 minutes after the last lightning flash or sound of thunder before resuming a game. Safe waiting areas include fully enclosed vehicles with windows rolled up. Umpires must seek shelter in a vehicle with a Head Coach or Player’s family if they do not have their own vehicle to wait in.

All must stay away from metal objects like fences, equipment boxes and bleachers. Avoid trees and open fields. If someone is struck by lightning, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Each time lightning is observed or thunder is heard, the 30-minute waiting period should start over. If the lightning has not passed after 45 minutes from the first lightning flash, the Umpire will call the game.

At a later date, the game will be resumed from the point where it was postponed unless the game is considered complete - 4 innings have been played or 3 1/2 if the home team is winning.