HOUSTON — Are you planning to tailgate on Monday before the College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies?
Well, we don't mean to rain on your parade, but the real rain is coming Monday and could put a damper on any outdoor activities you have planned.
Rain and storms are expected Monday in the Houston area between late morning to early evening, according to the KHOU 11 Weather Team. The biggest threat with these storms is going to be straight-line winds that could gust between 35 to 45 mph at times. An isolated tornado is not out of the question.
With that being said, we reached out to the City of Houston's Office of Emergency Management to figure out the plans if the weather becomes severe Monday.
"Contingency plans are in place for lightning strikes or other weather hazards that may impact safety in the event area," said Brent Taylor with the OEM. "The EOC (Emergency Operations Center) is also staffed with police, fire, public works, and other local, state, and federal partners, including the event venues (NRG Park, Shell Energy Stadium, and GRB) to ensure we are all on the same page."
Thomas Munoz, the emergency management coordinator for the City of Houston, said the biggest thing is informing traveling Washington and Michigan fans about the weather before they get into town.
“We are going to have people coming in from outside the state, so with that, the airport system, we work with them hand in hand as well to pass that information to them,” Munoz said.
Munoz said in the event severe weather occurs, information will be sent on social media. They will also utilize their alert systems if needed. Staff within NRG Park will also be communicating with fans.
Munoz said they have a lot of information to help keep fans safe.
“Big primary is National Weather Service, but we also look with our stakeholders, get the historical data through our GIS mapping, we have Harris County officials to look at the flood situations, what’s going on with that, we look at everything to start making those decisions, in the event we have to,” Munoz said.
The emergency operations center also has plans for lightning strikes in the area. Anyone who wants to get weather alerts can text “CFPHouston” to 888-777.
You can also register for alerts at AlertHouston.org.
You can also download the KHOU 11 app and turn on your push notifications to get breaking alerts on the weather across the Houston area.
Allstate Championship Tailgate
The following information was taken from the CFP Playbook which you can read more about by clicking here.
Allstate Championship Tailgate is the gathering place for fans who want to experience extreme tailgating leading up to the College Football Playoff National Championship. Open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. before kickoff, Allstate Championship Tailgate is free for all game ticket holders and will be held in Blue Lots 16-18 south of NRG Stadium.
Fans will enjoy interactive games, sponsor activations, concessions, live ESPN broadcasts and live performances by each team’s marching band and award-winning musical acts on the Capital One Music Stage. A national championship game ticket is required for entry to Allstate Championship Tailgate and all NRG Stadium security measures will be in place, including the Clear Bag Policy and the no Re-Entry Polic
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