Swamp gameday guide: Rain odds climb after 2 p.m.

By Brenden Martin

Florida (4-1, No. 16) and South Carolina kick off Homecoming at 12:45 p.m. Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the SEC Network. The game is scheduled as planned. Moisture from Hurricane Isaias is headed toward North Florida, and the National Weather Service is forecasting a wet afternoon.

All forecast details below are as of 3 p.m. ET Thursday, Oct. 8. Conditions can change, so check again Saturday morning.

The forecast, hour by hour

The NWS Jacksonville office puts the chance of showers and thunderstorms in Gainesville at 35 percent from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. That window includes kickoff. It forecasts no measurable rain in that block.

At 2 p.m., about 75 minutes into the game, the chance jumps to 83 percent. It stays there until 8 p.m. The NWS expects about a third of an inch of rain from 2 to 8 p.m. and puts the chance of thunder at 33 percent from 2 to 5 p.m.

Temperatures run 82 degrees at noon, 84 at 1 p.m. and 85 at 2 p.m., falling to 83 by 4 p.m. The heat index is forecast at 92 at noon and 98 at 2 p.m. Winds are out of the southeast around 15 mph, with gusts up to 22 mph.

Where Isaias stands

The National Hurricane Center's 2 p.m. ET advisory has Isaias at 85 mph, about 355 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It is expected to make landfall on the northern Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday.

The hurricane warning runs from Ocean Springs, Miss., to the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida. A tropical storm warning covers the coast east of there to the Aucilla River, and a storm surge watch covers the Suwannee River to Yankeetown. The NWS alerts feed showed no watches or warnings for Gainesville at 3 p.m. Thursday.

If lightning strikes

Under the SEC Severe Weather Policy, as quoted by the UAA in 2024, game officials are notified when lightning is within 15 miles of the stadium. Play is delayed or suspended if lightning is within 8 miles. Play can resume after 30 minutes with no strikes inside 8 miles, and every new strike resets the clock. A 10-minute warm-up may follow.

UAA game day policy says fans may leave the stadium to seek shelter in a severe weather delay and will be readmitted at the restart with their ticket stubs. Instructions come over the GatorVision boards and public address system.

Getting in

All gates open at 10:45 a.m., two hours before kickoff. All concessions are 50 percent off from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. Express Entry, which lets fans enter with their face instead of their phone, is available at Gates 1, 4, 7, 8, 12 and 16.

Umbrellas are on the UAA's prohibited items list for football. The clear bag policy allows a clear bag no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, a one-gallon clear resealable bag or a clutch no larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches. Seat cushions are allowed if they are no larger than 16 inches, with no pockets or back. There is no bag check at the gates. Fans with a prohibited bag must return it to their vehicle.