Football fans have been basking in unusual warmth, cheering on their favorite teams late in the regular season wearing shorts and t-shirts instead of the scarves and heavy jackets they might have ordinarily expected to break out in early winter. Colder air is on the way, but for this first round of the NFL playoffs most fans can expect one more week of fall-like temperatures… unless you’re headed up to Minnesota, that is. Consult the MORECAST app for the latest game day forecast details!
Kansas City Chiefs vs Houston Texans
Location: Houston, TX
Kickoff Time: 4:35 p.m. Saturday, Jan 9
Saturday’s sunny skies, mild temperatures and light winds will make for an ideal tailgate at NRG Stadium in Houston. Chiefs and Texans fans will enjoy perfect football weather as the cold front Friday night moves through the area, bringing a high temperature in the mid to low 60s for Saturday’s game. A slight chance of rain exists for early morning Saturday but skies will be mostly sunny by the time most fans begin tailgating. Conditions are favorable for officials to keep the stadium roof open, although final decisions will be made two hours prior to the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Kickoff Time: 8:15 p.m. Saturday, Jan 9
For those heading to Paul Brown Stadium to see the two AFC North rivals square off Saturday night, the weather could play a big factor not only for fan comfort, but also in the outcome of the game. That’s because a storm system will be moving through the Ohio Valley at the same time as the game. Cincinnati will be on the warm side of the storm during the contest, so there’s no threat for any snow. In fact, temperatures around kickoff will be unusually warm for mid-January, close to 50°F. Even though fans won’t need a heavy jacket, they will probably want a poncho or rain jacket handy. While dry weather is expected most of the day Saturday for tailgaters, there is a 70% chance of rain Saturday night, expected to begin right around kickoff.
Seattle Seahawks vs Minnesota Vikings
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Kickoff Time: 1:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan 10
Fans at TFC Bank Stadium will have to wrap up warm as cold air pours down from Canada behind a fast moving low pressure system heading northeast. The first truly Arctic cold snap of the winter so far will keep temperatures hovering just above 0°F at kickoff, potentially some of the coldest conditions in which an NFL game has ever been played. According to Fox Sports, were the temperature to drop to 0°F or below, it would be the lowest ever temperature for a Vikings game (granted, the Vikings did play in a domed stadium for 32 seasons). Adding to the frigid factor in the stands, a light but bone-chilling breeze around 10 mph will be blowing from the northwest, though it should not impact kicking conditions on the field.
Green Bay Packers vs Washington Redskins
Location: Landover, MD
Kickoff Time: 4:40 p.m. Sunday, Jan 10
On the warm side of the storm system lumbering across the Eastern U.S. on Sunday, fans filing into FedEx Field just east of the Washington, D.C. metro to see the Redskins host the Packers will enjoy well above normal temperatures, in the lower 50s at kickoff, perhaps cooling back to the middle or upper 40s by the end of the game. Winds will be out of the west at 10-15 mph, gusting up to 20 mph at times, certainly a potential nuisance for already anxious placekickers. There will be a threat of heavy rain early in the day, but the rain should clear the area well before the arrival of even the most excited early-bird tailgaters.