As this rain-affected Pittsburgh Steelers training camp enters its second week, the team is doing everything it can to avoid another washout.
The Steelers moved up their Thursday practice to start at 10 a.m. The originally scheduled start time of 1:55 p.m. put the session in the window of a forecasted thunderstorm expected to hit the area in the late afternoon hours. According to hour-by-four forecasting by Accuweather.com posted Wednesday evening, storms are to begin in the Latrobe area during the 4 o’clock hour.
The projected chances for rain in the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. hours range from 35% to 17%.
The Steelers’ Tuesday practice was all but canceled when, soon after it started, a passing storm forced the team indoors to run a walkthrough on a basketball gym at the Saint Vincent College campus.
Two other practices have been shortened by rain. Some of the grass fields at Saint Vincent are getting waterlogged, though the main Chuck Noll Field surface has held up well. The Steelers also have access to an adjacent artificial turf field.
To accommodate the change, campus gates now will open to fans at 8:30 a.m.
Thursday’s practice is the final session before the annual “Friday Night Lights” practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
