A few showers and thunderstorms are possible around Houston ahead of the UFL opening night kickoff.

HOUSTON – Mother Nature’s version of “Friday Night Lights” may be an unwelcome sight for fans heading to Houston’s TDECU stadium to catch the UFL’s opening night matchup pitting the St. Louis Battlehawks against the hometown Roughnecks.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT but the weather could push that back. Forecasts call for a 70% chance of thunderstorms in the Houston area sweeping through around kickoff time.

Even if thunderstorms are not directly overhead, lightning near the stadium will likely trigger delays, and thus FOX Weather is giving the matchup a High ROWI – Risk of Weather Impact.

WHAT IS FOX WEATHER’S ‘ROWI’?

The storms will begin to fade about 8 p.m. CT, dropping to a 40% chance and the ROWI drops to the medium category.

Weather impacts continue to fade by 9 p.m CT when just a few lingering showers are forecast with winds gusting to 10-15 mph — just enough to keep a low ROWI on the board as the breezes could affect kickoffs and deep throws.

Gusty winds could bring minor impacts to Arlington

The Saturday afternoon matchup between San Antonio Brahams and the Arlington Renegades looks good for a low ROWI at Arlington’s Choctaw Stadium.

There is a chance that breezy winds could exceed 20 mph, which would likely push the ROWI into the medium category. 

Gusts of south to southeast winds will create head- and tailwinds for the stadium’s north-south alignment as teams switch sides of the field at each new quarter.