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Here in Northern Virginia we use the flash-bang method for determining stoppage of a game. If the difference between the "flash" and the "bang" is 30 seconds or less this means that the storm is within 5 miles of the game site. Per regional regulations the stadium is evatuated (including fans) to a safe place, usually inside the school. The game is suspended for 30 minutes. If during that time another flash-bang of less than 30 seconds occurs the 30 minute clock is restarted. The game will resume only if there is no recurrance of lightning for 30 minutes. All schools hava access to local weather radar via computer and will monitor that site during the stoppage.
I have had several weather related stoppages over the past several years. At one school the game was suspended in the third quarter and resumed, at the point of interruption, the following Monday. The same crew is assigned the game.
Last year I had a game postponed for lightning after about an hour wait. (We had completed a pre toss but had not kicked off.) At another game I had an extended half time (45 minutes) while waiting for a rain storm to pass. Both schools wanted to complete the game that night, and, of course, its easier to do that than resume the game at a later date. This year at a FR/JV game, we had lightning but no thunder the entire time. It turned out that the lightning was over a city 100 miles to the south, just high enough in the atomsphere for us to see.
As far as who gets paid what if the same crew members are not available, I haven't had this happen to me but it could be easily worked out.
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Dave
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