The Carolina Panthers will play the Denver Broncos this Sunday in the biggest football game of the year, Super Bowl 50. The NFL championship game will take place in the San Francisco 49ers’ brand new Levi’s Stadium. The outdoor stadium leaves the teams susceptible to mother nature, who has a history of making weather conditions difficult on the players. With El Niño causing above average rainfall in California this winter, could the game end up being a rainy mess? MORECAST has a look at how the weather is shaping up for Sunday’s big game.
Rainfall amounts in Santa Clara, California have been above normal this winter, largely due to El Niño’s impacts on the shift in weather patterns. But thanks to a ridge of high pressure building off the coast of California, fans and players can expect perfect football weather with dry and sunny conditions forecast for this weekend. The quiet weather will lead to easy travel for those headed to Santa Clara by either car or plane.
As the teams prepare on Friday and Saturday, conditions remain dry with high temperatures ranging from the low 60s to near 70F. Night time will be slightly chilly with low temperatures forecast to be in the 40s. Sunday’s game, which starts at 3:30 p.m. PST (6:30 p.m. EST), will have plenty of sunshine and a kickoff temperature near or above 70F. Light winds from the north and east will have little impact on the game. Coldplay and Beyonce’s halftime performance will have slightly cooler temperatures in the 60s.
Although this year’s Super Bowl is expecting pleasant weather, past Super Bowls haven’t been so fortunate. In 1972, the Super Bowl was played in New Orleans outdoor Tulane Stadium, prior to the construction of the Superdome. Fans and players endured the coldest outdoor Super bowl on record, with a chilly temperature of 39F. The 1982 Super Bowl held in Pontiac Michigan had a much lower outdoor temperature of 16F but fans were able to stay warm in the Detroit Lion’s domed stadium. In sharp contrast, the 1973 Super Bowl held in Los Angeles reached a temperature of 84F, the warmest game time temperature on record.
Rain and wind have played a major role in numerous Super Bowl outcomes over the years, especially so in Miami. In 2007, Miami had the most rain of any Super Bowl as rain sat over the stadium for the entire game. The wet conditions contributed to several turnovers between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. Miami also has the windiest Super Bowl game on record with the 1989 game reaching peak winds between 25-30 mph, leading to several missed field goal attempts. Fortunately for the Panthers and Broncos, Sunday’s game in Santa Clara is not expected to break any weather records this year.