The Tartan Army have been issued a weather warning by Miami authorities ahead of their World Cup group stage match against Brazil next month.
Scotland fans are set to descend on the Florida city for their first World Cup appearance in 28 years, with the final Group C game against Brazil scheduled for June 24.
The warning comes because hurricane season officially begins on June 1, placing the match squarely in one of the most dangerous weather periods of the year.
Miami-Dade Department of Emergency Management Director Pete Gomez said: “We are very concerned and we want to get the message out.”
Gomez specifically named Scotland among several nations whose fans may be unfamiliar with the destructive power of hurricanes in the region.
He said: “We have fans coming from Scotland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia who won’t know what a hurricane is and what it can do.”
Gomez added that authorities have held around 32 meetings per week to prepare and have conducted multiple disaster drills in anticipation of a worst-case scenario.
He said: “If, God forbid, it happens, we need to have a plan. And we do.”
Beyond the hurricane threat, fans have also been warned that the traditional march to the stadium will not be happening due to extreme heat and humidity in the area.
Greg Terp, director of public safety and security for Miami Host Committee, said: “A lot of fans, like Scotland for example, have big marches and it’s a huge part of the event for them.”
Terp said organisers are working to communicate the risks to fan groups before they arrive, as many are simply unaware of what the local conditions can do to them.
He said: “We’re trying to talk to these groups ahead of time because they don’t understand the weather and the humidity and what it can do to them.”
US Government warning coordination meteorologist for Miami, Robert Garcia, acknowledged that communicating the dangers to a large crowd of football fans will require significant effort.
Garcia said: “This is the first time we have supported such a huge event in hurricane season.”
He added: “We have to assume people will be imbibing. So, in our messaging we need to be louder, significantly louder, to explain the need for hydration and the risk of the heat.”
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