Weather delays festival again

Heavy rain and lightning caused organizers to postpone the Rock on the Range music festival for more than an hour Saturday at Mapfre Stadium.

And a slow-moving cold front pushing north into central Ohio over several hours Saturday had potential to produce more of the same.

The “disorganized” weather pattern is capable of producing lightning, gusty winds or heavy downpours without much warning, said Kristen Cassady, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Wilmington. “Not really a big cluster of storms but a hit-ormiss chance throughout the evening.

“If you have those large outdoor activities, lightning can pose a hazard even without a storm,” she said. “The timing’s not great.”

The festival, touted as the “biggest rock festival in America” runs through today.

The event’s website warns that the schedule is subject to change. Some in attendance Saturday were upset by the earlier postponement from about noon to 2 p.m.

On Saturday, organizers, wrote: “We understand that it may seem frustrating and confusing when the skies don’t look threatening at that moment. ... But we ask you to understand we must use that advance time to ensure your safety BEFORE the storm threat hits.”

Not all appreciated the extra vigilance, however.

“Give it a few minutes, everyone. I’m sure there’ll be a raindrop shortly that’ll cause the stadium to be evacuated,” one person wrote on the website.

Event organizers are working with an on-site meteorologist to closely monitor the weather, especially heavy rain, lightning and high winds. The National Weather Service said the unstable conditions could continue through this afternoon.

On June 28, 2014, Columbus Fire Lt. Stu Tudor was struck by lightning at the former Crew Stadium after working a shift to help collect money for a charity soccer game on behalf of Get Behind the Badge. He died last year of complications from his injuries.