In a not-really-all-that-shocking article posted this afternoon, Politico concern trolls claims that they're worried about the hurricane threat posed to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte NC at the beginning of September. They say that holding the event in Bank of America Stadium -- an outdoor venue -- is a "risky weather choice." Putting on their brightest meteorological thinking caps, they consulted the NWS in Greenville SC to get a play-by-play of all the things that could go wrong during Obama's acceptance speech on September 6th.
President Obama will accept his party's presidential nomination in a big outdoor speech that happens to coincide with another event: the middle of Atlantic hurricane season.
[...]
"As far as rain that time of year, it's possible to get a thunderstorm," Outlaw said.
If there's tropical storm activity turning off the Gulf Coast to the northeast, then there will likely be rain in the Carolinas, he added.
And temperatures could easily range from crisp to scorching.
You mean that there could be summer weather during the summer? Holy shit! I can't wait to see their shocking exposé of potential snow at next January's inauguration.
Even if the DNC were to hold the event in an indoor arena, bad weather could still pose a hazard to the tens of thousands of people expected to attend President Obama's speech.
On March 14, 2008, a tornado struck downtown Atlanta GA and made a direct hit on the Georgia Dome during a basketball game. If the tornado were stronger when it had hit the stadium, the results may have been catastrophic.
Outdoor stadium or not, the weather can pose a threat to those who attend. I'm pretty sure the DNC has planned/is planning ahead for any and all types of weather, from the remnants of hurricanes to convective thunderstorms. They'll have contingency plans if bad weather is in the area for the speech. It wouldn't be the first time, nor would it be the last time, that a major outdoor event had to be moved due to bad weather.
1:21 PM PT: By the way...the GOP convention is slated for the end of August in Tampa. Yeah, that Tampa. Still looking for the Politico article where they call it a bad idea to put a major party convention on the Florida coast in August.