Hurricane Helene made landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm Thursday night, delivering dangerous winds and heavy rains across the southeastern United States.
Since making landfall, the National Hurricane Center has downgraded Helene to a tropical storm. Millions of people are without power across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and other southeastern states.
As a result of the severe weather, several teams have rescheduled games, canceled games or changed their travel plans ahead of the weekend. App State canceled Saturday’s home game against Liberty and will not reschedule it. The Mountaineers said they canceled the game due to “severe impacts” to the campus and Boone, N.C., the home of the school.
Here is a look at some of the contests that may be affected.
College football
Miami: The Hurricanes will host Virginia Tech at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Miami has not announced any changes to the game’s date or time.
Florida State: The Seminoles left Tallahassee on Thursday for Saturday’s game at SMU in Dallas at 8 p.m. ET. The team moved up their travel plans by one day to avoid Helene’s impact on Tallahassee. The Marching Chiefs, FSU’s band, canceled its trip to Dallas due to the weather.
UCF–Colorado: The Buffaloes left Boulder on Wednesday to arrive in Orlando ahead of Hurricane Helene’s arrival. Colorado typically travels on Thursdays for long road trips but moved up their plans by a day. UCF hosts the Buffaloes at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Florida A&M: FAMU rescheduled Saturday’s home game against Alabama A&M for Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving.
Florida: The Gators are on a bye week.
Clemson: The school said it still plans to host Saturday’s game against Stanford at the scheduled 7 p.m. ET kickoff time despite closing campus for Thursday and Friday. Stanford had multiple travel delays and a canceled flight Thursday due to Hurricane Helene. They are scheduled to arrive in South Carolina on Friday.
App State-Liberty: The Mountaineers announced Saturday’s game against Liberty is canceled and will not be rescheduled.
Braves–Mets: Major League Baseball postponed the final two games of a critical series between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets at Truist Park on Wednesday, moving them to a doubleheader Monday. The league decided about two hours before the scheduled start of Wednesday’s game — the second of the three-game series — as heavy rains blanketed the Atlanta area. The division rivals are locked in a battle in the wild-card race and will likely have to wait until Monday to have their playoff fates determined, barring changes in the standings.
Inter Miami’s match against Charlotte FC on Saturday may be affected by inclement weather. (Brad Penner / Imagn Images)
Inter Miami: Inter Miami will host Charlotte FC in Fort Lauderdale at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The clubs have not announced a change of plans for the game. Fort Lauderdale’s Broward County was not among the counties included in Florida’s state of emergency, but the area could still be affected by the weather over the weekend.
St. Louis City SC: St. Louis will host Kansas City FC at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. After Hurricane Helene makes landfall Thursday night, moisture from the storm is forecasted to move to the Mississippi River Valley. The St. Louis area is expected to be hit with rain starting around Friday morning and continuing through Saturday, which could cause the clubs to play in the rain. Major League Soccer allows for matches to be played in the rain but will delay games if there is a lightning strike within eight miles of a stadium.
Several NFL games will take place in the southeastern U.S. on Sunday before the Miami Dolphins host the Tennessee Titans on Monday. While no changes to games have been announced, inclement weather could potentially impact the host cities and the following games.
- New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
- Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
- Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
- Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins, Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET
(Top photo: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images)
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