The UFC Freedom 250 event scheduled on the White House lawn Sunday will be warm and humid, but there's also a threat of thunderstorms that could delay some of the fights.

This card of seven mixed martial arts fights is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET Sunday from a temporary ring known as the octagon, stage and seats constructed on the South Lawn of the White House.

A 92-foot tall, 154-foot wide overhang called "the claw" has been built over the octagon. Other than the claw, the venue will be exposed to the elements.

The forecast is tricky in one aspect

It will likely be warm and humid, as you'd expect in the Nation's Capital in summer.

However, we're also expecting at least scattered thunderstorms in Washington, D.C. and the mid-Atlantic region beginning Sunday afternoon. These storms are most likely expected to fire up between 3 P.M. and 6 P.M., most likely becoming showers by 7 P.M.

There are several questions about this thunderstorm forecast:

• Will they clear D.C. by the start of the event?
  
• Could there be more than one round of thunderstorms?
  
• Could the thunderstorms be severe with strong winds and hail?
  

The answers to these questions remain unclear right now, a common challenge with thunderstorm forecasts even a day or two away. But, models are beginning to lean away from the chance of rain and storms as the event progresses. Our current forecast is shown below, along with the percent chance of rain at each time period.

Weather safety plan is in place

In an interview during the event's media day, UFC chief content officer Craig Borsari said there will be an on-site meteorologist monitoring the weather.

"I would say, light to maybe moderate rain, we will try to continue to move forward and conclude the event," said Borsari.

But Borsari also said there are plans in case of thunderstorms.

"Anything beyond that, whether it’s, like I said, increased winds, high winds, lightning, we clearly need to shut down. If lightning is within eight miles of the Octagon. So, those plans are a different set of contingency planning than light to moderate rain."

UFC CEO Dana White added, "Lightning is the only thing. We'd have to wait it out... and then do the fight."

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.