Donald Trump’s planned trip to Tuscaloosa for the college football showdown between Alabama and Georgia could be derailed by a ‘nightmare’ hurricane.
Experts have warned that the highly-anticipated game – between two of the biggest teams in the country – could be moved due to extreme weather hitting Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Trump announced last week that he would be jetting in for the SEC clash between the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs, which is slated to kick off at 6.30pm local time on Saturday night.
But ABC chief meteorologist James Spann has warned that a hurricane could make landfall in nearby Mobile Bay.
‘It would be a nightmare for everybody involved. But if we do get a Category 1, Category 2 hurricane coming right up Mobile Bay Saturday morning, I don’t know if you wouldn’t be playing that game in Tuscaloosa,’ he told AL.com.
‘You have the chance of winds gusting to 50 miles an hour, torrential rain and the chance of isolated tornadoes on top of everything else… the idea of moving the game… it’s clearly on the table.’
Donald Trump’s trip for the Georgia-Alabama game could be derailed by a serious hurricane
No 2-ranked Georgia head to Tuscaloosa to face No 6-ranked Alabama on October 10
In 2024, then-presidential candidate Trump visited Bryant-Denny Stadium alongside the likes of Kid Rock and John Daily
As Spann pointed out, Trump’s visit is not the only big event in the area on Saturday – ESPN’s College GameDay is due to be in Tuscaloosa, while Zach Bryan is performing in Auburn and the National Shrimp Festival is taking place at Gulf Shores.
‘It’s the perfect storm,’ he said.
The SEC said in a statement on Tuesday that it is ‘keeping an eye on forecasts and staying in communication with schools with games that could be impacted by weather.’
The picture should become clearer on Wednesday and it remains possible that the storm could be weaker than feared. It could also slow down, delaying any rainfall.
‘But if it comes up through West Alabama or Mississippi… it’s gonna be rough. I mean, real rough,’ Spann added.
