A night to remember: how the weather 'sacked' an NFL game in 2007
On Nov. 26, 2007, the muddy field conditions at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh made for one of the lowest-scoring NFL games in history.
This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.
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Photo: Pixabay
On Monday, Nov. 26 2007, a national audience tuned into Monday Night Football to watch a classic showdown between two long-time AFC rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins. But, the weather had a different game plan.
Lightning and heavy rain were unleashed early and pushed back the start of the game by 25 minutes at the Steeler’s home park, Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The muddy field conditions made for one of the lowest-scoring NFL games in history -- ending in a shutout.
Photo: National Weather Service.
On the day prior, a deep low-pressure system moved out of the Gulf of Mexico and headed northeastward into the Ohio Valley. Pittsburgh, on this night, got battered with soaking rains that lasted over a three-day period, impacting a large swath -- from the Gulf Coast to the New England shorelines.
The sharp infusion of the Gulf air mass created a convection that, along with intense bursts of heavy rain in a short period of time, sparked thunderstorms, which is what actually caused the delay to the start of the game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended up winning by one field goal, with a final score of 3-0. And that field goal came with only 17 seconds left in the game.
On today's podcast, Chris Mei discusses the unique storm setup that led to the delay of the game, and what happened throughout.
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