This World Cup is going to be hot and at times stormy, with a sizeable chunk of its 104 games set to be played above 90F (32C).Spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, it is likely to be the warmest edition since the previous time the tournament was held in North America, when the U.S. hosted it solo in 1994.While extreme heat and humidity will affect how matches are played, thunderstorms could provide the greater logistical challenge.Under the thunderstorm protocol in place in the States, a match must be suspended if lightning or electrical discharge is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium involved.Once that happens, a 30-minute countdown begins, but resets if another strike is detected before it ends. On June 22, the game between France and Iraq became the first World Cup game delayed by the storms, stopping for more than two hours.
To help understand which games will be most affected, The Athletic is working with Aaron Mentkowski, chief meteorologist at WKBW-TV Buffalo, to provide a daily forecast. Aaron will join live coverage to explain what’s happening during storm delays.Brazil vs JapanNRG Stadium, Houston. Kick-off: 12 p.m. local timeAn indoor match so no issues on the pitch. It will be sunny, hot and humid outside of the stadium. At 12 p.m. the match will start with an outside temperature of 92F (33C). Temperatures will warm up to 94F (34C) after the game. Winds will be out of the south at 5 to 15 miles per hour.Germany vs ParaguayGillette Stadium, Foxboro. Kick-off: 4:30 p.m. local timeMostly sunny skies for the match today. At 4:30 p.m. the temperature will be 83F (28C), with winds out of the east at 5 to 10 miles per hour. Temperatures will hold steady near 83F (28C) during the match.Netherlands vs MoroccoEstadio BBVA, Monterrey. Kick-off: 7 p.m. local timeMostly sunny, breezy, and hot today. At 7 p.m. the match will start with a temperature of 90F (32C). The sun will set at 7:36 p.m. and the temperature by the end of the tilt will be 85F (29C). Skies will be partly cloudy with winds out of the southeast 10 to 20 miles per hour.
