Campus Alert Archive
Iowa State

Four Minutes Into the Season: Lightning Cancels Iowa State's Home Opener at Jack Trice Stadium

IAsevere stormadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Just four minutes and five seconds into Iowa State's home opener against South Dakota State, persistent lightning storms forced cancellation of the game at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames on September 1, 2018. The lightning delay began at 7:17 PM CDT after Iowa State had scored the game's only touchdown; after a 2-hour 24-minute delay, university officials canceled the game at 9:45 PM CDT rather than subject fans to more dangerous weather.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Iowa State University
Public R1 · IA
~33,391 studentsISU Emergency Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 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 reconstruction228 chars
Lightning has been detected within 8 miles of Jack Trice Stadium. Play is suspended. All fans in the seating bowl must move to the concourse or seek shelter immediately. We will make an announcement in 30 minutes with an update.

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

The delay was triggered at 7:17 PM CDT just moments after Iowa State scored a 55-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Kempt to Deshaunte Jones to lead 7-0 with 10:55 remaining in the first quarter -- the game had lasted only 4 minutes and 5 seconds of actual play.
Ames, Iowa, is in the top 10 of college towns for lightning strike frequency on game days based on 2016-2020 data; Jack Trice Stadium sits in open terrain that makes it particularly exposed to Great Plains thunderstorms.
ALL CLEARPA System+2h 28m
Approximate reconstruction243 chars
Iowa State University and South Dakota State University have mutually agreed to cancel tonight's game due to persistent lightning in the area. The game has been declared a no-contest and will not be rescheduled. Please exit the stadium safely.

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

The cancellation was announced at approximately 9:45 PM CDT, 2 hours and 24 minutes after the delay began; the last comparable cancellation in Iowa State football history had occurred in 1963.
Under NCAA rules, a game canceled before it is considered official (at least one complete quarter played under standard conditions) is recorded as a no-contest with no statistics counting.
Context

Background

The afternoon and evening of September 1, 2018 saw rounds of severe thunderstorms repeatedly sweep across Ames, Iowa, making Jack Trice Stadium untenable for play. Iowa State had scored on just its second drive -- a 55-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Kempt to Deshaunte Jones that made it 7-0 with 10:55 left in the first quarter -- when the delay was triggered at 7:17 PM CDT. With each new lightning strike within eight miles of the stadium, the mandatory 30-minute wait clock reset. After more than two hours of waiting, university officials concluded the storms would not break in time for safe play and announced the cancellation at 9:45 PM CDT. The Cyclones had played just four minutes and five seconds of football. Ames and Jack Trice Stadium sit in open central Iowa terrain with particularly high lightning strike frequency on game days -- ranking in the national top 10 for college towns by that measure during 2016-2020 -- giving stadium operations staff significant experience managing weather holds despite this being the program's first outright cancellation in 55 years.
Analysis

Key Findings

The cancellation came after just 4 minutes 5 seconds of actual play -- one of the shortest college football games before cancellation on record
This was Iowa State's first weather-canceled game since 1963, a span of 55 years
Lightning triggered the delay at 7:17 PM CDT; the game was canceled at 9:45 PM CDT -- over 2.5 hours later with no safe window opening
Ames ranks in the top 10 of college towns for game-day lightning strike frequency, making Jack Trice Stadium one of the more lightning-exposed major college venues in the country
Outcome
Game canceled and declared a no-contest under NCAA rules; the score and statistics were not counted.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Iowa State-SDSU Game Cancelled - Iowa State University Athletics
    cyclones.com
  2. Student Paper
    South Dakota State game canceled due to persistent lightning - Iowa State Daily
    iowastatedaily.com
  3. News
    Lightning strikes abound at Jack Trice Stadium - WeareiIowa
    weareiowa.com
  4. News
    Iowa State vs. South Dakota State canceled - The Gazette
    thegazette.com
Tags
severe-stormlightninggame-canceledstadiumiowa-statejack-trice-stadiumgame-dayfootballhistoric
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion