Thunderstorms Bring Early End to Relay for Life

Thunderstorms that rolled through early this afternoon disrupted the two day Relay for Life, a huge fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. 

The event on a soccer field at G.T. Bray was officially postponed until 1 a.m. to allow some groups to go home and wait out the storms. But some relayers stayed stubbornly through the first phase of the storm which broke after an hour.

Storms began soon after the survivors and caregivers walk around the field.

The National Weather Service is issuing a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Bradenton, Sarasota and Southwest Florida, with showers likely throughout the day.

The concern at the Relay and other outdoor events is for lightning strikes that come with the thunderstorms rolling in this afternoon. There will be more of the same Sunday.

If you're attending other outdoor public activitivities, check for cancellations. We will post them, as we learn about them, too. If you want us to let you know about canceled events, sign up for the breaking news alerts. We will be letting folks know throughout the weekend.

If you're looking for more details about the weather, these links may help you:

• Get your hourly forecast
• Get a more detailed forecast
• Check out the local radar