Could Tropical Depression Fred impact Jags’ preseason game vs. Browns?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to open the 2021 preseason on Saturday night against the Cleveland Browns at home, but mother nature may have other plans.

Northeast Florida residents are no strangers to hurricane season, and this year’s could impact the beginning of the Jaguars season. Tropical Depression Fred is currently situated just north of the far eastern tip of Cuba, and according to the projection cone from the National Hurricane Center, it is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico and follow the west coast of Florida north.

Though the center of the storm is expected to remain west of the state, the outer bands could bring some heavy rain to the area, potentially impacting kickoff against the Browns.

Luckily for Jaguars fans eager to see Trevor Lawrence in the teal and black for the first time, the storm likely wouldn’t affect the area until Sunday or Monday, according to a report from News4Jax meteorologists John Gaughan and Richard Nunn. Action News Jax chief meteorologist Mike Buresh also predicted a Sunday-Monday impact from the storm.

It seems that we should be all systems go for the preseason opener, which is set to begin at 7 p.m. But tropical cyclones are unpredictable, and this will be a story to watch over the next couple of days.