Update: 2:40 PM ET — The Steelers’ practice has been moved inside and is now closed to the public. They can’t hit on the hard surface indoors, so the first padded practice will end up being tomorrow.
Read the original story below.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were all geared up for their first padded training camp practice, but they will have to wait at least 30 minutes with lightning strikes in the area. They are under a weather delay and the field and bleachers have been evacuated due to inclement weather.
Here’s a shot of players leaving the field, per 93.7 the Fan on X.
According to Missi Matthews on Training Camp Live via Steelers.com, they have to wait until at least 2:30 PM due to lightning strikes. That is the earliest they would be able to continue, but that timeline gets pushed back with every strike in the area.
Our Tim Rice posted a clip from the merchandise tent as they wait for the storm to pass.
DVE’s Mike Prisuta posted more of the torrential downpour and noted that today’s practice might be in jeopardy.
According to the National Weather Service, the chance of storms was relatively low. The doppler radar shows a line of storms further southeast that should mostly miss Latrobe, but it can also be unpredictable with this level of heat and moisture in the air.
If they have to cancel practice, they typically move things inside where it is then closed to the public. The surface they would be practicing on inside wouldn’t be suitable for full contact, so it would delay the first padded practice by a day. Saint Vincent College is in the process of building a new indoor facility, which will set them up better in the future for these types of situations.
The Steelers have had multiple run-ins with weather this camp so far, but they mostly came at the very end of practice to cut things short by a few minutes. This is the first significant delay.
We will keep this post up to date with the latest information on when practice will resume. In the meantime, you can stay up to date on our live update thread.
