NFL Wild Card Playoffs 2014 weather forecast: Brutal conditions in Green Bay
Could Sunday’s NFC Wild Card game between San Francisco and Green Bay rank as one of the coldest of all time? What about Chargers at Cincinnati and the rest of this weekend’s games?
What a weekend to kick off the NFL Wild Card Playoffs when it comes to the weather. The first two games are played today and should be the most calm of the four that will be played this weekend. When Kansas City visits Indianapolis for the first AFC Wild Card game of the weekend they will be playing indoors. While it will be chilly and breezy outside, the weather won’t impact the game inside.
New Orleans visits Philadelphia Saturday night and while it will be chilly it won’t be as cold as it could be or has been in the City of Brotherly Love. Skies will be mostly clear and temperatures in the 20s. Detailed weather forecast for Saturday below.
Chiefs vs. Colts - Saturday, 4:35 P.M., NBC
FORECAST: Game played indoors.
Saints vs. Eagles - Saturday, 8:10 P.M., NBC
FORECAST: Mostly clear and chilly.
Winds: SSW 5-10 mph.
Kickoff – 25
Half Time - 23
Second Half – 23
SUNDAY PLAYOFF GAMES:
Where Saturday’s games are calm, quiet or played indoors, wild weather awaits the match-ups on Sunday. A wintry mix of freezing rain, snow and rain will be waiting San Diego as it visits Cincinnati. Storm system along a strong arctic cold front will initially spread a wintry mix of precipitation into southwestern Ohio. This will start off as rain and freezing rain for fans traveling to the game and as temperatures warm to near and slightly above freezing rain and snow are possible during the game Sunday afternoon.
The headline game weather-wise this weekend is the match-up of San Francisco visiting Green Bay. Bitter, breathtaking cold temperatures will be in place when the game kicks off Sunday afternoon. Temperatures by the start of the game will already be below zero and could drop to ten below by the end of the game.
The air temperatures alone is enough to cause problems but factor in winds between 10 to 20 mph and you have a very dangerous situation for fans and players when you factor in the wind chill. What is the wind chill? The National Weather service defines it as the following:
The wind chill index is a measure of the heat loss to a human body due to the combination of cold air and wind. The colder the air and the stronger the wind the lower the wind chill index, and the faster that heat is transported away from exposed skin the lower the wind chill index. The lower the wind chill index the more quickly that frostbite and hypothermia can develop.
During the game, wind chill values will drop to 30 to 40 degrees below zero. This is how the air will feel on any exposed skin and at these low levels frost bite could occur between 10 to 15 minutes.
Not sure Sunday’s game will top the list of coldest NFL games ever, but it will easily be in the top 5 and maybe in the top 3. These are the top three coldest games listed by NFL.com
1) Dec. 31, 1967 - Lambeau Field
“The Ice Bowl” - NFL Championship, Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys
Temperature: -13 degrees / Wind chill: - 48 degrees
2) Jan. 10, 1982 - Riverfront Stadium
AFC Championship Game: Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Diego Chargers
Temperature: -9 degrees / Wind chill: -59 degrees
3) Jan. 7, 1996 - Arrowhead Stadium
AFC playoff: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts
Temperature: -6 degrees
Chargers vs. Bengals - Sunday, 1:05 P.M., CBS
FORECAST: Off and on rain and possible snow showers.
Winds: SE-NW 5-15 mph
Kickoff – 33
Half Time - 34
Second Half – 33
49ers vs. Packers - Sunday, 4:40 P.M., FOX
FORECAST: Brutally cold temperatures, partly cloudy to mostly clear. Blustery and breezy.
Winds: Northwest 10-20 mph possible gust of 25 to 30 mph
Kickoff: -4 wind chill: -23
Half Time: -6 wind chill: -28
Second Half: -10 wind chill: -35
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