Will Tropical Storm Debby affect the match between Real Madrid and Chelsea in Charlotte today?
Tropical Storm Debby has been bearing down on the Carolinas, and soccer fans have been worried that the weather will affect the Real Madrid-Chelsea match.
Real Madrid and Chelsea are breathing a sigh of relief as their friendly in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 7 p.m. local time looks set to go ahead without any problems.
Tropical storm Debby, which has been battering the southeastern United States since Monday, threatened to play a role in the match, just as a thunderstorm had already done in the Real Madrid-Barcelona game in New Jersey, forcing the game to be halted for almost an hour and twenty minutes.
In Debby’s case, the fear was that it would reach Charlotte after making landfall in Tallahassee, Florida, on Monday morning and then begin to move further inland.
But, as expected, the collision with land has slowed its rate of advance and, above all, it seems to be staying on the coast. At this moment, the eye of the storm is resting on the coast of South Carolina, specifically in the cities of Charleston and Myrtle Beach with both towns suffering serious flooding. But Charlotte is spared, the storm will bring only rain and some wind to tonight’s game, but without any major problems.
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Real Madrid and Chelsea prepare for wet weather
This was discussed at the pre-match meeting held this morning in Charlotte between representatives of the Soccer Champions Tour, Real Madrid and Chelsea. There is no concern about the risk of thunderstorms, although the possibility of rain is high (at this time, the forecast for 7 p.m. Charlotte time is 62% chance of precipitation, with 25 degrees and wind of 11 miles per hour), but lightning is not expected, which is the real risk for the match.
Let’s remember the protocol in these cases: if lightning strikes within a diameter of 8 miles, the match must be suspended and both teams and spectators must take cover. The match would only resume after 30 minutes without lightning striking within the aforementioned diameter. But this is not a fear for this Real Madrid-Chelsea matchup in which the Spanish team will close their preseason.