WeatherFanatics: Pre-Super Bowl Winter Storm May Hinder Travel, Stadium Prep

Monday, January 27, 2014

Pre-Super Bowl Winter Storm May Hinder Travel, Stadium Prep

By Samantha-Rae Tuthill, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

January 27,2014; 9:35PM,EST

Snow piled up outside of MetLife Stadium in December 2013. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
A pre-Super Bowl storm is likely the weekend of the Super Bowl, but questions linger over timing and precipitation type.
"The consensus is generally that the weather will be dry for game time," AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said. "The questionable period will be for earlier in the day, depending on the speed of the system."

@ESPNNFL tweeted: "INSIDE LOOK: The home of Super Bowl XLVIII Met Life Stadium today in the midst of a snow storm. pic.twitter.com/pDK63CnATu (via @setforward)" Additional Relevant Tweets and Social Media Reaction

Temperatures could remain high enough that precipitation may not necessarily fall as snow.
Dombek stated that most indications are against this being a big storm, but if the precipitation does fall as all snow or ice too late into Sunday morning, it could bring problems for setup.
"People will be coming in on Sunday and if they have to clear snow and ice off all the seats and walkways, that could be a problem," added AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski. "The precipitation may not be a big deal for game conditions, but stadium preparations could see some issues."
AccuWeather.com Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok believes the system should hit Friday into Saturday, leaving game day dry.
"Temperatures will be in the mid-30s for most of the game, but with winds around 15 mph, gusting up to 20 mph, RealFeel temperatures could be in the 20s," Pastelok said.
Dombek warns, however, that the storm still has the potential to linger into the early part of Sunday.
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A snowstorm would not be unusual for the New York and New Jersey early at that time of year, according to AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
"They are taking a calculated risk having the Super Bowl [at MetLife Stadium]," Rayno said. "A risk because if this area is going to get a big storm, that's the time of year it will happen. Calculated because they only really need one day."
Will it Snow at MetLife Stadium Feb. 2? AccuWeather.com experts weigh in daily with their latest predictions at willitsnow.com.
Over the past 10 years, temperatures for the date have varied from the highs in the low 50s to lows in the teens. Temperatures around 6:30 p.m., when kickoff will take place, have ranged from the lower 20s to mid-40s.
With the average high for the area on Feb. 2 at 40 degrees, and the average low is 24, a storm system could easily drop snow. On average, the area receives 2.2 inches of snow during the first week of February.

On Feb. 2, 2011, East Rutherford, N.J., already had several inches of snow on the ground. Snow accumulation is typical for that time of year.
If the game does need to be postponed because of inclement weather, the decision will be made 36 hours in advance in order to change the date and 24 hours in advance to change the time, The Newark Star-Ledger reports.
NFL Executive Vice President Eric Grubman has said that the game can be moved to any day between Friday, Jan. 31, to Monday, Feb. 3, to stay either ahead of or behind a possible storm.

Have questions, comments, or a story to share? Email Samantha-Rae Tuthill at tuthills@accuweather.com, follow her on Twitter @Accu_Sam or Google+. Follow us @breakingweather, or on Facebook and Google+.

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