Jeremy Cross in Houston

World Cup organisers are bracing themselves for a tropical storm disrupting Houston’s opening game of the tournament this weekend.

And it means the clash between Germany and minnows Curacao in the Houston Stadium could be delayed come kick off.

Local meteorologists have predicted there is up to a 70 per cent chance of thunder and lightening ahead of the Group E showdown on Sunday.

Up to three inches of rainfall could hit Houston, with almost double this amount affecting isolated areas at the start of next week as well.

The stadium does have a retractable roof, but organisers are more concerned with the possible disruption caused to those planning to travel to the game.

The weather is expected to cause massive disruption throughout the United States during the finals.

England’s friendly with Costa Rica earlier this week was delayed, due to severe rain in Florida.

And Houston could well be one of the worst affected host cities, due to its geographical location on the Gulf Coast, which is renowned for unpredictable summer weather.

Houston officials have spent months preparing for a combination of intense summer heat and tropical storms.

Strict lightening protocols will be implemented at the downtown Fan Festival, in a bid to safeguard all those supporters flooding into the Texas city.

Visitors intending to attend outdoor facilities have been warned to be prepared for sudden weather shifts.

Local meteorologist Jeff Lindner said: “The first issue is obviously going to be the heat.

“We know that some of the folks that are planning to come are coming from areas that aren’t accustomed to the high heat and humidity that we have here in our summer months.

“And if there’s lightning within eight, 12 or 15 miles of that location, there’s different steps that are going to be taken to make sure people are protected through that duration of the fan festival.”

During the tournament, organisers and the emergency services will activate a ‘Unified Area Command’ and ‘Multiagency Co-ordination Centre’ alongside a ‘Joint Information Centre’ – to track conditions around the clock.