Weather Hotline and Heat, Thunder & Lightning Policies
Weather Hotline
Call the Freedom Area Rec Council hotline at (410) 549-6296 to check on field availability. On weekdays the message is updated by 3pm.
Carroll County Recreation and Parks Heat, Thunder & Lightning Policy
Thunder and Lightning: At the first sound of Thunder or the first sighting of Lightning – All outdoor recreation council activities are to be stopped and the participants must clear the fields to a protected area and wait 30 minutes before activities can resume. Any additional occurrence restarts the 30 minute count until activities can resume. You can read the official policy at County Heat, Thunder and Lightening Policy.
Heat: Approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the activity, temperature and heat index reading should be taken at the site or from www.weather.com or a comparable source. The following are recommended guidelines for coaches, program leaders and volunteers to follow with regards to Department sponsored youth activities:
Call the Freedom Area Rec Council hotline at (410) 549-6296 to check on field availability. On weekdays the message is updated by 3pm.
Carroll County Recreation and Parks Heat, Thunder & Lightning Policy
Thunder and Lightning: At the first sound of Thunder or the first sighting of Lightning – All outdoor recreation council activities are to be stopped and the participants must clear the fields to a protected area and wait 30 minutes before activities can resume. Any additional occurrence restarts the 30 minute count until activities can resume. You can read the official policy at County Heat, Thunder and Lightening Policy.
Heat: Approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the activity, temperature and heat index reading should be taken at the site or from www.weather.com or a comparable source. The following are recommended guidelines for coaches, program leaders and volunteers to follow with regards to Department sponsored youth activities:
- Heat Index: 80-89 – Use caution; monitor athletes carefully for necessary action.
- Heat Index: 90-104 – Use extreme caution; remove helmets and other equipment if not involved in contact.
- Heat Index: 105-129 – Alter uniforms by removing items where feasible; practice should be shortened with low intensity & limited conditioning.
- Heat Index: 130 & above – NO practices or games. Activities should be rescheduled for early/late in the day or an alternate date when the heat index is lower.
Use Weather Channel (PDF) or National Weather Service (HTML) to calculate Heat Index.