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.Ivory Coast vs NorwayAT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas. Kick-off: 12pm local time (CDT), 1pm ET, 6pm BST.An indoor match, so no issues down on the pitch. It will be sunny and hot outside the stadium. At 12pm, the match will start with an outside temperature of 93F (34C).Temperatures will nudge up to 95F (35C) after the game. Winds will be out of the southeast at five to 15 miles per hour.France vs Sweden MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kick-off: 5pm local time (ET), 10pm BST.Partly-sunny and hot for this one. At 5pm, the temperature will be 90F (32C), with winds out of the southwest at five to 10 miles per hour.Temperatures will hold steady near 90F (32C) during the match.Mexico vs EcuadorAzteca Stadium, Mexico City. Kick-off: 7pm local time (CST), 9pm ET, 2am (Wednesday) BST.Mostly cloudy with showers and thundershowers today.At 7pm, the game will start with a 40 per cent chance for a shower or thundershower, and a temperature of 65F (18C).The sun will set at 7:19pm, and the temperature by the final whistle will be 61F (16C). The rain chance will stay near 40 per cent during the match, and winds will be northwesterly at five to 10 miles per hour.
