Chelsea’s friendly in North Carolina has been delayed by storms that surrounded the stadium as night fell.
The warm air sitting over the Atlantic is undercut by cooler air flowing down from the Appalachians, sparking static electricity in the atmosphere which is expressing itself as thunder and lightning across the city of Charlotte.
Reports are that this could be an hour’s delay to the friendly, which is likely to be more of a fitness test than anything else. The stands have been cleared until the storm passes.
#CharlotteFc and #ChelseaFC fans here's your lightning and weather update for the game. #cltwx #ncwx #wcnc #charlotte #704 #soccer pic.twitter.com/1uErzxOijr
— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) July 20, 2022
Thomas Tuchel appears to be set to use two different teams for half the game each as fresh returns to camp are integrated with the fitter members.
This is a frustrating delay for them as well as us, as they look to help the players train, rest and recover ready for Saturday night’s game against Arsenal down in Floria – which is also prone to storms at this time of year.
