TAMPA, Fla. — Football season is here! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick things off with their home opener Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium.
Ahead of Sunday's home opener, a "Raise the Flags" event will take place at 6 p.m. Friday at Sparkman Wharf. Although it will be warm and humid, the weather looks to work in our favor Friday evening with most of the isolated showers to brief downpours holding tight to our inland locations.
For Sunday's game, anyone planning to attend pregame parties or tailgates should bring an umbrella or poncho as storms are expected for late afternoon. Lightning could come into play during this time, so have a backup plan if you expect to be outdoors with a safe shelter nearby. Lightning can be deadly!
A trough digging across the eastern US will allow winds to change from a southeasterly to southwesterly flow leading to better rain chances along the coast by the late afternoon, and later drifting inland as we finish off the evening.
Timing looks to be in our favor for the second half of the game with things drying out around Raymond James Stadium closer to 6 p.m.
After defeating the Miami Dolphins in their preseason finale, the Bucs will kick off their season against the Washington Commanders this Sunday, Sept. 8 at 4:25 p.m.
Rookie quarterback and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels will be making his NFL debut against the Baker Mayfield-led Bucs on Sunday. Meanwhile, Bucs QB Baker Mayfield is coming off a career-best 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023.
