Tonight's World Cup clash between Scotland and Brazil could be impacted by the weather with thunderstorms forecast in Miami.
Already, there has been heavy rain and thunder and lightning in the Florida city ahead of Scotland's final Group C match, which is scheduled for an 11pm kick-off UK time.
The local kick-off time will be 6pm, but there have already been concerns over thunderstorms in the area at around 7pm in Miami.
Atención: a horas del duelo entre Escocia y Brasil en Miami, así está el clima. ¡Diluvio y tormenta eléctrica! 🎬 #ESPNMundial 📺 Mirá los mejores partidos de la #FIFAWorldCup por ESPN, en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus pic.twitter.com/rRZPZEVRj0
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And in the event of a thunderstorm, within an eight-mile radius, the match would be halted with players removed from the field of play.
Supporters would be advised to take shelter in the stadium until the thunderstorm passes.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) guidelines advise the match be halted and not restarted until no further lightning strikes have been detected within the eight-mile radius for 30 minutes.
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If a lightning strike is detected, then the 30-minute timer would be restarted with the full time having to pass without any further strikes for the match to be resumed.
There is no limit on the length of the delay possible.
After the 30-minute period has passed, the players would then go through a 15-minute warm-up before the match would restart from the point it was halted.
Supporters would be led back to their seats after the 30-minute thunderstorm-free period had passed.
The match between France and Iraq on Tuesday was delayed by two hours and 11 minutes due to a severe rainstorm. The delay occurred during the half-time interval.
FIFA announced that the match had entered “severe weather mode” due to the possibility of lightning strikes.
On protocols, FIFA previously stated as per The Athletic : "FIFA’s emergency preparedness team meets regularly with national meteorological and emergency management authorities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as with partners across all 16 host cities.
"A comprehensive, tournament-wide preparedness exercise focusing on severe weather scenarios has further strengthened cross-agency coordination and operational readiness.
"Stadiums are required to maintain robust risk management and evacuation procedures, including lightning and severe weather protocols aligned with local legislation and international best practice."
