What impact does Hurricane Helene have on sports? App State-Liberty canceled, Clemson-Stanford still active

Hurricane Helene made landfall in northwest Florida on Thursday evening as a Category 4 storm, bringing damaging winds and heavy rain to the southeastern United States.

Since landfall, the National Hurricane Center has downgraded Helene to a tropical storm. Millions of people in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and other southeastern states are without power.

Due to the severe weather, several teams postponed games, canceled games or changed their travel plans before the weekend. App State canceled Saturday’s home game against Liberty and will not reschedule it. The Mountaineers said they canceled the game because of “severe impacts” to the campus and Boone, N.C., where the school is based.

Here’s a look at some of the competitions that may be affected.

College football

Miami: The Hurricanes host Virginia Tech on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Miami has announced no changes to the game’s date or time.

State of Florida: The Seminoles left Tallahassee on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET for Saturday’s game at SMU in Dallas. The team postponed their travel plans by a day to avoid Helene’s impact on Tallahassee. The Marching Chiefs, FSU’s band, canceled their trip to Dallas because of the weather.

UCF–Colorado: The Buffaloes left Boulder on Wednesday to arrive in Orlando ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Helene. Colorado typically travels on Thursdays for long road trips, but has postponed its plans by a day. UCF hosts the Buffaloes on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Florida A&M: FAMU has postponed Saturday’s home game against Alabama A&M until Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving.

Florida: The Gators have a bye week.

Clemson: The school said it still plans to host Saturday’s game against Stanford at the scheduled kickoff time of 7 p.m. ET, although the campus will be closed Thursday and Friday. Stanford experienced several travel delays and a canceled flight on Thursday due to Hurricane Helene. They are scheduled to arrive in South Carolina on Friday.

App State Liberty: The Mountaineers announced that Saturday’s game against Liberty will be 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 on Monday. The league made the decision 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 decide their playoff fate barring any changes in the standings.

Inter Miami’s game against Charlotte FC on Saturday could be affected by inclement weather. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

InterMiami: Inter Miami hosts Charlotte FC in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The clubs have announced no change to their plans for the game. Broward County in Fort Lauderdale was not among the counties under a state of emergency in Florida, but the area could still be affected by weather over the weekend.

St. Louis City SC: St. Louis hosts Kansas City FC on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. After Hurricane Helene makes landfall Thursday evening, the storm’s moisture is expected to move into the Mississippi River Valley. Rain is expected to hit the St. Louis area starting around Friday morning and continuing into Saturday, which could result in clubs playing in the rain. In Major League Soccer, games can be played in rain, but games will be delayed if there is a lightning strike within 8 miles of a stadium.

Several NFL games take place in the southeastern United States on Sunday before the Miami Dolphins host the Tennessee Titans on Monday. Although no changes to the games have been announced, inclement weather could potentially impact the host cities and subsequent 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)