Hurricane Milton damages the roof of the Rays’ stadium, forces NBA preseason game to be called of

roof panels over home of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays were ripped to shreds after Hurricane Milton came ashore in Florida on Wednesday night, bringing wind gusts exceeding 100 mph and flooding parts of state.

It was not immediately clear if re was damage inside Tropicana Field, located in St. Petersburg. Television images showed swaths that serve as domed building’s roof were completely tattered, giving a clear line of sight to lights that were on inside stium.

re were only essential personnel inside ballpark Wednesday night, all of m safe and accounted for, Rays said. It was not being used as a shelter and no first responders were being staged re, team said, ding that no official determination about damage can be me until storm passes and conditions are safe.

team previously said that Tropicana Field features world’s largest cable-supported domed roof, with panels me of “translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass” supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.

roof was designed to withstand wind of up to 115 mph, according to Rays. stium opened in 1990 and initially cost $138 million. It is due to be replaced in time for 2028 season with a $1.3 billion ballpark.

An NBA preseason game in Orlando between Magic and New Orleans Pelicans, scheduled for Friday, was canceled even before Milton hit state. game will not be rescheduled.

Orlando was playing at San Antonio on Wednesday night and was scheduled to return to central Florida on Thursday. Those plans are now in flux because of storm, which me landfall near Siesta Key, Florida. It forced airports in Orlando and Tampa to close and it wasn’t clear when it would be safe for Magic to return home.

“re’s always things bigger than game of basketball and that’s what we have to keep our perspective on,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Knowing that re’s families and homes and situations that are going through a tough time right now, we need to be mindful of that and conscious of it.”

Magic-Pelicans game is second NBA preseason matchup to be affected by Milton. A game scheduled for Thursday in Miami between Heat and Atlanta Hawks was postponed until Oct. 16 because of storm concerns. Also called off earlier this week: a rescheduled NHL preseason game on Friday in Tampa between Lightning and Predators — one that was originally set to be played last month and was postponed because of Hurricane Helene.

“Stay safe Florida!” former Tampa Bay star Steven Stamkos, who is entering his first season with Nashville, posted on social media Wednesday. “Thinking about all amazing people in Tampa area right now.”

Countless college and high school events in Florida also have been canceled or postponed because of storm.

For now, two planned exhibitions by Simone Biles and or Olympic gymnasts — part of “Gold Over America Tour,” acronym not coincidentally spelling out GOAT in a nod to Biles’ status as consensus Greatest Of All-Time in sport — this weekend are still on. tour is scheduled to come to Sunrise, home of Stanley Cup champion Florida Panrs, on Friday and n move to Orlando on Saturday.

Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, which is north of Miami, is scheduled to resume live racing on Friday. Saturday’s college football game with Cincinnati going to Orlando to face UCF is still on, and Memphis-South Florida game in Tampa was rescheduled earlier this week to be played Saturday.

UCF and USF officials have both said furr decisions will be me, if necessary, after storm damage is evaluated.