Campus Alert Archive
Notre Dame

An Even Hour Between the Third and Fourth Quarters: Lightning Sends 77,000 Into Joyce, DeBartolo, and Mendoza

INsevere stormemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

At 6:10 PM EDT on October 12, 2024, with No. 11 Notre Dame leading Stanford 42-7 entering the fourth quarter, the ACC officiating crew suspended play at Notre Dame Stadium after lightning was detected in the South Bend area. Spectators were directed to seek shelter in nearby campus buildings — the Joyce Center, DeBartolo Hall, or the Mendoza College of Business. Both teams returned to the field at 7:00 PM EDT and play resumed at 7:10 PM EDT — an even-hour total delay. This was the second NBC college football broadcast in a week delayed by lightning.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Notre Dame
Private R1 · IN
~13,000 studentsNDAlert
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 reconstruction190 chars
Lightning is in the vicinity of Notre Dame Stadium. Please exit the stands and seek shelter immediately. Seek shelter in the Joyce Center, DeBartolo Hall, or the Mendoza College of Business.

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

Reconstructed PA evacuation announcement consistent with the [Yahoo Sports coverage](https://sports.yahoo.com/notre-dame-stanford-weather-updates-224737153.html) of the shelter destinations: Joyce Center, DeBartolo Hall, and Mendoza College of Business
Notre Dame Stadium's hybrid shelter model uses three named adjacent campus buildings — the [77,622-seat stadium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_Stadium) cannot fully shelter all fans on its own concourse during a storm
The [6:10 PM EDT suspension](https://247sports.com/college/notre-dame/article/updates-no-11-notre-dames-game-versus-stanford-suspended-due-to-lightning-in-the-area-237860686/) came between the third and fourth quarters with Notre Dame leading 42-7
UPDATETwitter/X
Approximate reconstruction113 chars
Today's game is suspended due to lightning in the area. Please remain in a sheltered location. Updates to follow.

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

Reconstructed @NDFootball social-media weather hold message consistent with the [Awful Announcing coverage](https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1845228056635383868) of the broadcast disruption
Awful Announcing noted that this was the [second NBC college football broadcast in a week](https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1845228056635383868) to be delayed by lightning — part of a broader pattern across 2024
NDAlert is Notre Dame's mass-notification system; game-day operational messaging runs through the PA, videoboard, and @NDFootball social channels
ALL CLEARPA System+50 min
Approximate reconstruction88 chars
The all-clear has been given. Please return to your seats. Play will resume at 7:10 p.m.

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

Reconstructed restart announcement matching the [Washington Post coverage](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/2024/10/12/notre-dame-stanford-lightning-delay/ca40f5c2-88ea-11ef-8274-e0558282750d_story.html) of the 7:10 PM EDT resumption
The 60-minute total delay is among the cleanest examples of a single-cell lightning hold — one full 30-minute reset cycle plus player warm-up and PA repopulation time
Notre Dame would have a [second high-profile lightning delay against Purdue on September 20, 2025](https://www.foxcarolina.com/2025/09/20/second-straight-clemson-football-home-game-enters-lightning-delay/), making Notre Dame Stadium one of the most weather-affected venues in college football across 2024-2025
Context

Background

Notre Dame Stadium is the 77,622-seat home of the Fighting Irish in South Bend. The October 12, 2024 game against Stanford had reached the end of the third quarter with Notre Dame leading 42-7 when the ACC officiating crew — which manages the game's weather protocol — suspended play at 6:10 PM EDT after lightning was detected in the South Bend area. Spectators were directed to seek shelter in three named campus buildings — the Joyce Center, DeBartolo Hall, and the Mendoza College of Business — a hybrid shelter model that uses adjacent academic buildings to absorb stadium-evacuated crowds. The delay ran an even hour: both teams returned to the field at 7:00 PM EDT and play resumed at 7:10 PM EDT. Notre Dame won 49-7. The remainder of the game aired on CNBC and Peacock due to NBC scheduling conflicts caused by the delay — an unusual broadcast hand-off that highlighted the operational complexity of weather suspensions for nationally-televised games. Awful Announcing noted this was the second NBC college football broadcast in a week delayed by lightning, part of a broader pattern across the 2024 season. Notre Dame Stadium would face a second high-profile lightning delay against Purdue on September 20, 2025, making it one of the most weather-affected D1 venues across the 2024-2025 seasons.
Analysis

Key Findings

Notre Dame's hybrid shelter model — directing 77,000+ fans to three named adjacent campus buildings (Joyce Center, DeBartolo Hall, Mendoza College of Business) — is one of the cleanest examples of multi-building stadium evacuation in college football
The 60-minute total delay was a textbook single-cell lightning hold — one full 30-minute NCAA reset cycle plus player warm-up — making it a baseline reference for how brief a single-strike clearance can be
The mid-game NBC-to-CNBC-to-Peacock broadcast hand-off highlights an under-reported operational reality: weather suspensions on nationally-televised games can cascade into network schedule disruptions, not just stadium operations
Notre Dame Stadium experienced lightning delays in both 2024 (vs Stanford) and 2025 (vs Purdue), making it one of the most weather-affected D1 venues of the period
Outcome
Game resumed at 7:10 PM EDT. Notre Dame won 49-7. The remainder of the game [aired on CNBC and Peacock](https://www.wndu.com/2024/10/12/notre-dame-stanford-game-delayed-by-lightning/) due to NBC scheduling conflicts. No injuries reported during the evacuation.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Notre Dame-Stanford weather updates: College football game delayed for inclement weather (Yahoo Sports)
    sports.yahoo.com
  2. News
    Notre Dame vs. Stanford Suspended Due to Inclement Weather: Updates (Sports Illustrated)
    si.com
  3. News
    Notre Dame-Stanford game resumes after weather delay, rest of game airing on CNBC and Peacock (WNDU)
    wndu.com
  4. News
    Updates: No. 11 Notre Dame's Football Game Versus Stanford Suspended Due to Lightning in the Area (247Sports)
    247sports.com
  5. national media
    Stanford and Notre Dame resume play after lighting delay (Washington Post)
    washingtonpost.com
  6. social media
    @awfulannouncing — Stanford at Notre Dame delayed by lightning (X)
    x.com
Tags
severe-stormlightningstadium-evacuationnotre-dame-stadiumfootballnotre-dameaccweather-delaygame-daynon-violentprivate-r1broadcast-disruption
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion