Play ball! Meteorologists provide weather support at Target Field

Thursday's weather forecast looks favorable for the Twins opening day at Target Field.

First pitch temperatures will hover around 50 degrees at Target Field Thursday afternoon. That's considerably warmer than last year's first pitch temperature in the upper 30s.

Overall the Twins have been remarkably lucky with opening day weather conditions. Temperatures have reached 60 degrees on four of the opening days which began in 2010.

Meteorologists in the bullpen 

For many years the Minnesota Twins have been the only MLB team to deploy an on-site meteorologist who provides real-time weather support at Target Field. I was involved in planning for how the Twins could benefit from professional meteorological support for Target Field home games.

In early 2010, now-retired NWS and MPR meteorologist Craig Edwards and I were invited to Target Field to meet with head groundskeeper Larry Divito and Twins communications executive Kevin Smith. We talked about how professional weather support would help the Twins make decisions about everything from field maintenance to game time decisions about warming up pitchers and fan safety during severe weather. Craig and I talked about splitting up forecast duties at Target Field. My MPR broadcast schedule precluded my involvement in regular weather support duties at Target Field.

In 2010, Craig Edwards became what is still believed to be the first regular staff meteorologist to provide weather support in the MLB. Craig retired from MPR and the Twins and relocated to warmer Florida a couple of years ago. Professional meteorologists still provide weather support for Twins home games. Twin Cities-based meteorologists Todd Nelson and Mace Michaels split gameday duties these days.

Critical decisions

Well before the first pitch on game days, Twins staff consults with the meteorologist about expected weather conditions. There are multiple layers to the decision-making process for home games at Target Field. Decisions on field preparation and possible rain and storm timing are critical on game days. Fan safety is critical and can be challenging in a big outdoor stadium. Even a garden-variety thundershower can produce dangerous lightning.

Field preparation decisions and changing weather conditions can greatly impact playability during games. Precise weather information helps the grounds crew keep the field at peak playability.

A trip to the manager's office

Craig tells me he was called into the manager's office many times before games to consult on the timing of expected rainfall and how that would impact pitching decisions.  If rain was expected close to the start of a game, Twins managers must consider if it is worth warming up the starting pitchers. Once a pitcher is warmed up, he can effectively burn up his scheduled start for the week. Getting the most out of million-dollar arms is an important consideration for an MLB manager.

So, the value of precise accurate meteorological information is high and often incalculable.

Fan safety

Of course, fan safety is one of the biggest considerations in open-air stadiums. Meteorologists' worst nightmare is a tornado or lightning strike in an outdoor stadium with 50,000 fans. I sat in for Craig providing weather support at Target Field several times over the years. I can tell you it's daunting to have responsibility for the safety of thousands of fans who are there to have a good time and may not be watching the weather closely.

A watchful eye

Twins' head groundskeeper Larry Divito is responsible for all things related to the field at Target Field. Larry is very weather-savvy. My conversations with him over the years make it clear he's a fellow weather aficionado. He almost has to be in that job. The Twins are very lucky to have someone as committed and knowledgeable as Larry running field operations.

So, think about this the next time you watch a Twins game on TV or at Target Field. There's a meteorologist somewhere in a small, bunker-like office behind the third base visitors dugout watching a computer screen. They're working to keep you safe and provide weather support for a huge range of weather-related decisions during Twins games.