Severe weather that made its way through the Houston area Monday caused rain to leak through the closed NRG Stadium roof a few hours before the Michigan-Washington College Football Playoff national championship was due to begin at the venue.
While the Wolverines and the Huskies were warming up on the field, rainwater was dripping on to the turf near the pylon of the Michigan end zone, the Houston Chronicle reported Monday.
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The players on the turf weren't bothered by the leak and barely paid it any mind while they were on the field before the 6:30 p.m. kickoff, the Chronicle reported. As kickoff approached, a tornado watch for Harris County was lifted and most of the heavy rain was south of the stadium, which appeared to solve the leaky roof issue.
According to the Chronicle report, leaks are a common problem at retractable roof stadiums since it's hard to get an airtight seal on a moveable roof. When it rains at the Astros' Minute Maid Park, for example, rain has previously leaked through the roof. Last year's college football title game between Georgia and TCU also dealt with rain issues as the Southern California downpour was coming in through openings on the side of SoFi Stadium despite its roof.
The Wolverines went on Saturday to beat the Huskies 13-34, earning the CFP national championship.
Heavy rains cause a leak in Houston's NRG Stadium roof before CFP national championship game https://t.co/6jwPpxhl5W
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) January 9, 2024
