NFL kickoff 2024: Thunderstorm delays Chiefs-Ravens kickoff, forces fans from stands

Eager NFL fans had to wait.

Thunderstorms brought rain and lightning to Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night in the hour before kickoff of the NFL season opener between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, forcing a delay.

The storm hit during pregame warmups as fans had started to make their way into the stands. A message on the stadium's video board announced that "all event/game activities will be interrupted" and asked fans to make their way out of the stands and onto the stadium concourse.

The NFL later announced that the scheduled 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff would be delayed until 8:40.

Chiefs social media, meanwhile, found some humor in the dark clouds after promoting "the calm before the storm" earlier on the Arrowhead Stadium account.

Weather forecasts didn't project for the storms to linger, but it wasn't an ideal start to the highly anticipated rematch of last season's AFC championship game.

By the time the NFL made the announcement, the weather had cleared. Fans returned to the stands and players resumed their warmups around 8 p.m. ET.

It was 8:45 by the time the game actually kicked off, but the 2024 NFL season is underway.

The good news for fans at home is that they had more time to work on their gameday spread. And what's 25 more minutes when you've been waiting since February?