Plans for Sunday’s big game? Canada's forecast calls for it all
Prepare to adjust any big plans for the big game on Sunday as changeable weather sweeps the country
Ready for it? Sunday is the big day for fans looking forward to good food, good company, good commercials, and as many Taylor Swift references as anyone can drop.
A pattern change taking hold in the skies over Canada this weekend will force some folks to dodge dreary rain while others revel beneath the chilly sunshine.
Here’s what you can expect across the country this weekend as the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, Nevada.
DON’T MISS: Pattern flip next week to bring Canada colder air, possible snow
Unseasonable chill for game day in Vegas
The National Football League (NFL) will hold its fifty-eighth championship game in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, February 11, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PST (6:30 p.m. EST).
A midwinter championship game is a solid gamble when it comes to fickle conditions—a fact Buffalo fans know all too well—but the NFL gets around changeable winter weather by hosting most games in warmer southern locations or in northern cities that enjoy the warmth of indoor stadiums.
Folks lucky enough to take in the big game in Las Vegas will enjoy the comfort of the city’s brand-new domed Allegiant Stadium. The temperature in indoor stadiums is usually a pleasant 21-22°C regardless of outdoor conditions.
Las Vegas has a reputation for cruel summers, but jackets are a necessity in this desert oasis during the cool months.
Crystal clear skies over southern Nevada on Sunday will allow daytime temperatures to rise into the mid-teens, which is about five degrees below seasonal for this time of year. Nighttime temperatures will dip into the lower single digits.
Sunday’s conditions are a far cry from the coldest-ever championship games.
The coldest outdoor game unfolded in New Orleans of all places. The 1972 game saw Dallas and Miami face off with a kickoff temperature of about 4°C. Fans enjoyed a taste of summer for the big game in 2003, which saw a toasty kickoff temperature of 27°C in San Diego, California.
Canada’s forecast looks good for some, wet for others
Partiers and tailgaters beware if you're out west.
A bout of precipitation arriving on the West Coast through Sunday may force folks to shake it off with low-level rain and single-digit temperatures expected across Vancouver and the South Coast at kickoff.
Cooler temperatures across higher elevations and British Columbia’s Interior will allow precipitation to fall as snow for areas like Kelowna.
Daytime temperatures should hover around the freezing mark across much of the Prairies, with the coldest conditions in southern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario keeping daytime highs solidly below zero. Scattered snow showers are possible in Calgary and across southern Alberta.
A nice day is shaping up back east, with largely pleasant conditions for just about everyone in southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.
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Sunday afternoon’s highs will climb into the mid-single digits across the Maritimes, which will help melt some of the tremendous snowbanks residents continue to struggle with.
We’ll see temperatures in the low- to mid-single digits from Toronto to Montreal, though colder air will begin creeping into the region as an upper-level trough moves in as a pattern change arrives into next week.
Forecasters continue to watch the potential for a storm for parts of the East Coast early next week.
Stay with The Weather Network for the latest on your forecast at home and across Canada.
