The Dolphins — used to the balmy beaches of Miami — will likely be hit with an arctic blast when they visit the Chiefs in Kansas City this weekend.
As of Thursday, the National Weather Service (NWS) and AccuWeather listed a low of around -8 degrees on Saturday night. Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, said the wind chill could mean temperatures feel like they’re between -20 and -30 degrees. If the frigid forecast pans out, the matchup could be one of the coldest games in NFL history.
“It’s gonna be brutal,” Kines said. “Temperature-wise, I don’t think it gets much worse than that.”
The contest isn’t the only wild-card game that could be affected by severe weather. The Bills host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, when snow and high winds are projected to affect the Buffalo area.
Here’s a look at how else this weekend’s wild-card slate could be impacted:
Dolphins-Chiefs at Kansas City
Saturday’s kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local time), roughly two hours after sunset. There’s a slight chance of snow in the afternoon, and it gets colder from there.
The forecast includes a high of 8 degrees during the day that drops into the negatives at night. The overnight temperature could approach Kansas City’s Jan. 14 record low of -10 degrees set in 1979, according to AccuWeather.
“This air mass that’s coming into this middle part of the country is coming in straight out of Canada,” Kines said. “Typically in Kansas City this time of year, high temperatures (are) around 40 (degrees), low temperatures are in the lower 20s, so we’re talking daytime highs near zero and nighttime lows down to minus-10.”
In terms of NFL records, the “Ice Bowl” — the 1967 championship game won by the Green Bay Packers over the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field — still ranks as the coldest game, with a temperature of -13 degrees and wind chill of -48 degrees.
A game in the negatives could set franchise records though. The coldest game at Arrowhead Stadium was 0.5 degrees at kickoff (-19 degree wind chill) in 1983 when Kansas City played the Denver Broncos. Per Fox 4 Kansas City, the Chiefs’ coldest playoff game was 11 degrees in a 1996 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, meaning that record will likely be broken.
It will also likely mark the coldest game for the Dolphins. A December 2008 win in Kansas City ranks as Miami’s current coldest matchup — 10 degrees at kickoff with a -12 degree wind chill.
How should fans prepare if planning to attend? Kines recommended lots of layers, with hats, gloves, face coverings and multiple socks.
“Obviously the folks that are going to that game, they have to dress for it,” he said. “You’ve gotta keep your skin covered up. Frostbite will set in pretty quick at those temperatures.”
The Chiefs said warming stations will be located around the stadium and fans will be allowed to carry in blankets without zippers or compartments, as well as portable chargers and non dry cell batteries to “power heated apparel.”
Steelers-Bills at Buffalo
Buffalo and Pittsburgh are familiar with cold conditions, but snow could impact travel for fans. The forecast for Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET game in Orchard Park, N.Y., is expected to be in the 20s. The National Weather Service issued a “Winter Storm Watch” in the area for the weekend.
“There’s no doubt there’s gonna be a lake-effect snow band going on,” Kines said. “It’s just a matter of whether it’s over the stadium or just to the south.”
Even if the snow band doesn’t fall directly over Highmark Stadium on Sunday, Kines said the area could get a foot of snow Saturday night, which would have to be moved before the game starts. Additionally, travel could still be difficult for fans attending the game.
“When you get in those snow bands, it’s zero visibility, and the snow’s accumulating a couple of inches in an hour, then traveling becomes extremely difficult, dangerous, if not impossible, so there are gonna be problems in western New York,” Kines said.
The Bills have moved their games due to snow in the past, and Saturday’s weather could call for a contingency plan.
Weather for other wild-card games
The three other wild-card weekend games will be played in stadiums with domes, so weather shouldn’t be a major factor.
The Houston Texans host the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET with sun in the forecast.
On Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys host the Green Bay Packers at 4:30 p.m. ET. While it will be cold (in the 20s) for Texas standards, the roof at AT&T stadium should keep any freezing rain out.
The same goes for the projected cold temperatures (low around 7 degrees) when the Lions host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night (8 p.m. ET) at Ford Field in Detroit.
Rounding out the wild-card slate, the Philadelphia Eagles travel to play the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on Monday at 8 p.m. ET. They could be in for a wet-weather affair at Raymond James Stadium, with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the area, per the NWS forecast on Thursday.
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(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
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