NFL keeps watch as hurricane makes landfall

League officials and local authorities remain in contact Friday regarding Sunday's game at Hard Rock Stadium between the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.

A hurricane prompted contingency plans from the NFL for the Week 5 game and a similar approach for "Monday Night Football" involving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C.

But with Miami International Airport reopening Friday and severe weather tracking north, the Dolphins expect to play Sunday's game as scheduled. Earlier in the week, discussions included shifting the game to Monday night or to another venue. Tampa's Raymond James Stadium and Nissan Stadium in Nashville were considered.

The Dolphins were given Thursday off for safety reasons. As of Friday at noon ET, Sunday's forecast in Miami Gardens, site of Hard Rock Stadium, was for sunny skies and temperature in the upper 80s with a 10 percent chance of precipitation.

The Monday game in Charlotte could be impacted by weather the next 24-48 hours with significant rainfall in the forecast Friday and Saturday, but none Sunday or Monday.

The NFL released a statement Thursday afternoon saying it was "conducting contingency planning" for the Bucs-Panthers game.

"We are in close contact with local and state authorities about the hurricane," the statement said. "As always, our overriding concern is for public safety and not doing anything that will divert important resources away from communities that may be in distress. Consistent with that, we are conducting contingency planning for the Tennessee at Miami game as well as the Tampa Bay at Carolina game."

The hurricane is expected to move north along Florida's shoreline, then track east into the Atlantic, but tracking models are not exact. Charlotte is fairly inland compared to the hurricane's projected path, but the NFL will continue to monitor the storm.

A surge of several feet is possible in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars are on bye after playing in London last week.

Meanwhile, persistent rain from the effects of the hurricane forced NASCAR to cancel all of Friday's on-track activity at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including the Xfinity Series Chase Round of 12 finale.

The Drive for the Cure 300 will now run Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 -- the first race in the Chase's Round of 12 -- remains scheduled for 7 p.m.