UPDATED: NSI Game Day Weather - Yankees vs. Red Sox vs. Rain - Delay Potential Discussed

Update (1:30 PM): Steve has checked in with a weather update. Looks like the rain has stayed away for the most part, and he is dropping the delay potential to moderate:

The heaviest rain will remain to the south and east of the Bronx through the rest of the evening hours. There will remain a risk of scattered showers through 8 PM, but a delay is not expected now. The rest of the forecast is unchanged.

It appears that all systems are go! We'll see you at the game tonight!

We don't usually get caught up in the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry hype, but this is the series we have all been waiting for. The Yankees are flying high, returning home in first place, 2.5 games up on the hated Red Sox - even while losing all 8 head-to-head battles thus far in '09. The calendar is fast approaching the time of year that Yankees fans live for - October. These games have the potential to be the most exciting that the "new house" has ever seen.

Of course, it is Summer '09, so it means that rain is in the forecast - the only thing that can put a damper on the excitement. Luckily, we have Steve DiMartino of NYNJPAWeather.com on hand to prepare us for the uncontrollable atmospheric conditions. Since the last home stand, Steve has been hard at work on a new forecast format for these NSI game day weather reports. At the bottom of his update, you will find a "delay potential" section and a "postponement potential" section. We have introduced this to help fans who travel long distances in making their decision about if/when they are going to leave for the game. Here is what Steve has to say today:

Well, anyone who loves baseball knows all about the wars that the Yankees and Red Sox have had over the years, decades, even centuries. Yes, centuries! Anyway, just because the Yankees and Red Sox will be battling for first place doesn’t mean the rain is not going to stay away.

An area of low pressure will continue to slide to the east of the Bronx this evening with showers lingering through the start of the game. The rain will end from from northwest to southeast through the evening with clearing conditions likely after 8 PM. Winds will back from the east to northeast around 5 mph, which will have little impact on the game conditions. However, winds will be blowing in from right field with a slight influence in the outfield. Temperatures will range from 70 to 75 through the game tonight.

Game Delay Potential: High The initial start of the game may be delayed until at least 8 PM, but game conditions will improve as the evening progresses

Game Delay Potential: Moderate The initial start of the game may be delayed until at least 8 PM, but game conditions will improve as the evening progresses

Game Postponement: Low (conditions will drastically improve after 8 PM, and the bulk of the rain will remain to the south )

Wind Direction This Evening

Rest of the Series:

The Yankees host the Red Sox through the weekend and the threat of rain will linger right through the series. Generally dry conditions can be expected on Friday night, however an isolated shower is still possible in the early evening. I don’t expect much of any impact through. Winds will be light and variable with temperatures in the lower to mid 70’s.

On Saturday, the Yankees will play at 4:05 PM. Got to love Fox Sports right? Anyway, clouds will increase through the day as a low pressure system approaches. The threat of rain will increase towards the later innings as an area of showers and thunderstorms approaches from northern Pennsylvania. Winds will be from the south around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures will range from the mid to upper 70’s for highs.

ESPN takes over on Sunday with a game at 8 PM. The forecast is a bit tricky here as a warm front will move through in the afternoon with showers and thunderstorms followed by a cold front overnight. Between the two frontal boundary, an area of dry conditions is expected. Currently, the timing of this dry period run through the evening hours, giving the chance for the game to be played. Winds will be from the southwest around 10 to 20 mph and temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s.

Rest of the Series:

The threat of showers and thunderstorms will remain through the rest of the home stand for the start of next week. A stationary front will focus a series of disturbances over the region that will lead to periods of showers and thunderstorms. The stationary front will waver over the Bronx, but for the most part is expected to be north of the region. As a result, south to southwesterly winds can be expected for the most part along with temperatures ranging from the lower 90’s at the start of the games, falling into the 80’s through the rest of the evening.

Once again, we'd like to thank Steve for the updates he provides regarding Yankee Stadium weather. These posts are invaluable for fans traveling to games that are impacted by weather, as shown by the Google-referred traffic that they generate. We may not be able to control the weather, but if affects our plans, so it helps to be armed with the most accurate information.

While you're here, be sure to follow both New Stadium Insider and NYNJPAWeather.com on Twitter:

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Read the full post, after the jump

5/5 Yankees vs. Red Sox Game Day Weather Forecast - Raw & Cool, But Playable

Well, last night was quite a fiasco. We had a feeling in the middle of the day that the Yankees would wait it out until after 9 PM (keep an eye on our Twitter page for cutting-edge updates like that). As usual, the Yankees seemingly have no professionals on staff when it comes to weather forecasting. The rain was falling with the same intensity for the first two innings that it was from 7-9 PM, so why didn't they just start the game on time? Yankees, if you are reading this, hire Steve DiMartino, an independent meteorologist who runs NYNJPAWeather.com. He'll make sure that your weather decisions don't result in near-riots outside of the stadium.

Speaking of Steve, he is back with an update for tonight's game, which we won't be attending because we are supposed to have a softball game. Most likely, that will be canceled, so we'll be watching from home. For those of you attending the game tonight, here is what to expect weather-wise:

I can't believe they played that game in those conditions. Heard they didn't treat the fans too well either. Bad move to play that game at freaking 9:30 PM! Anyway, today's conditions look a bit more reasonable for the game. The game will be played in a time period between the exiting disturbance bringing showers this morning and another disturbance moving up the coast from Maryland late tonight. Although cloudy conditions can be expected, the game should be played at a normal start time. There will be a growing risk of showers towards the end of the game. Winds will be from the northeast around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures will range from 49 to 52 through the game. So overall, a drier forecast relative to yesterday, but still not the best conditions. The best way to describe this evening is raw and cool.

So there you have it, an on-time start is predicted, so layer up and bring some rain gear just in case. To think, Mets fans enjoyed 90 degree weather during their team's home games last week. Hopefully the tides will turn later in the season, because this sucks. Read the full post, after the jump

UPDATED! More Bad Weather News: Yankees vs. Red Sox May 4, 2009 Likely To Be Postponed

Update (5/4 11:45 AM): Sadly, Steve has more bad news to report.

Basically no changes in the forecast. This is the dry slot trick I alluded to this morning that would give some a bit of false hope for the game tonight. All that rain over southwestern and central Pennsylvania is going to move right towards the Bronx this afternoon and evening.

and over at his website, NYNJPAWeather.com, he provides us with some detail:

However, the upper disturbance associated with the rain this morning is moving directly towards the forecast area. The lifting ahead of the upper disturbance is spawning scattered showers within the “dry slot” this hour. However, as the day progresses into the evening hours, the steady rain over southwestern and central Pennsylvania will move over the Philadelphia and New York City metros. The heaviest rain is likely to occur between 5 PM and 9 PM as the upper low moves through. Clearing conditions can be expected after 10 PM as this upper disturbance exits.

You can read the original bad news along with our feelings about the inevitable "retractable roof" talk, if you

Well, this is now two mornings in a row that we have woken up to a sobering weather update from our friend Steve over at NYNJPAWeather.com. Apparently, heavy rain is once again forecast to affect the Yankees game:

Here is the latest update!

Don't be fooled by a brief break in the afternoon over the Bronx as rain will return quickly this evening, which will continue into tomorrow morning. The heaviest rainfall will remain south of the Bronx, but still will likely lead to another postponement if not a lengthy delay. Winds will be from the northeast around 5 to 15 mph.. Temperatures at game time will range from 51 to 54 degrees.

Drier conditions are expected for tomorrow evening's game. In fact, if it was really necessary, a double header starting in the afternoon would be possible as far as weather conditions at least. Partly cloudy to overcast skies are expected with winds from the east around 5 to 15 mph. Temperatures at official game time would range from 53 to 56 degrees.

Have a great day!

We haven't even thought about potential makeup dates yet, but since this game is against Boston, there will be plenty of opportunities.

With the cost of the new stadium anywhere between $1.2 and $1.7 billion, we can expect the "why was there no retractable roof built on the new place" critics to rear their ugly heads. The answer is that during most summers in New York City, there would not be enough rain to make the investment in a retractable roof worth the investment. So far this season, the Yankees are just extremely unlucky with weather. Lets hope it doesn't affect the team's play on the field in August/September when they have to make these games up!
Read the full post, after the jump