AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The start of the NFL opener between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs was delayed 20 minutes Thursday night when a severe but brief storm moved through Arrowhead Stadium, bringing torrential rain and lightning.

The game was scheduled to begin at 7:20 p.m. CDT, or 40 minutes after the rain stopped. The teams agreed to an abbreviated 25-minute warmup, beginning at 7 p.m., leaving the Chiefs about 15 minutes to raise their final Super Bowl banner, sing the national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and other pregame festivities.

The special teams players were on the field for pre-game warm-ups when the sky darkened and rain began to fall, sending fans inside the stadium running for cover. The players were pulled off the field for their safety when lightning lit up the sky north of the stadium.

The rain only lasted about 20 minutes, but the speed at which it fell still left water in the corners of the stadium. The storm also dropped the temperature by about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, from a high of 92 degrees (33 degrees Celsius).

More pop-up storms were forecast into the early morning hours, though the best chance for more thunderstorms was after midnight. That would give the NFL a chance to finish the game without further delay.

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