'Take shelter' tornado warning issued to England squad

England's World Cup preparations were disrupted after Thomas Tuchel's squad received an emergency tornado warning in Kansas City, forcing the team to abandon evening plans and remain inside their hotel as severe weather moved through the area. The players had trained at Swope Soccer Village earlier in the day before a major storm front arrived.

Just after 8pm local time they received automated messages from the U.S. National Weather Service: a Severe Thunderstorm Warning advising them to "take shelter in a sturdy building, away from windows", with fears of winds up to 80mph. Around 8.30pm the threat was upgraded, with a Tornado Watch issued for Johnson County and a Tornado Warning for Jackson County, where their training ground is located.

A tornado did touch down in Missouri, though it remained outside the immediate vicinity of Kansas City. Many players and staff had been watching the Scotland vs Haiti broadcast, which was frequently interrupted and overtaken by live emergency weather coverage.

United States, Kansas City, Missouri

england squad, thomas tuchel, world cup, kansas city, tornado warning, tornado watch, severe thunderstorm, jackson county, johnson county, missouri