Hail Interrupts Euro 2016 Match

Players from Northern Ireland and Ukraine had to seek shelter when hail began to fall in Lyon, France. The Euro 2016 Group C match was delayed by the referee around the 57^th minute, with Northern Ireland leading 1-0. Light rain had been falling prior to the quick hailstorm. Two Earth Networks Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts (DTA’s) just to the north of Parc Olympique Lyonnais warned of impending severe weather conditions.

DTA’s are generated by Earth Networks’ state-of-the-art Total Lightning Detection Network™. Total lightning accounts for both cloud-to-ground lightning strikes as well as in-cloud lightning strikes. In-cloud strikes, are a critical clue in detecting severe weather as they often are a precursor to other dangerous conditions like the hail the players and fans experienced on 16 June 2016.

The video above shows scattered lightning strikes developing into a stronger, more cohesive branch of cells over the stadium. Although there were approximately 6,000 lightning strikes above during the match, most fans remained in their seats waiting for the match to resume. Luckily, no one was injured by hail or lightning during this storm.

You know you want it… #WillGriggsOnFire#GAWApic.twitter.com/ZNDyKimBbG

— colin murray (@ColinMurray) June 16, 2016

Once the hail stopped, the two teams returned to the pitch where Northern Ireland would beat Ukraine 2-0 to advance to the finals against Germany. Germany defeated Northern Ireland 1-0 in the final match.