Sunday's Packers vs. Bears game may be coldest in Chicago's history

By Renee Duff , AccuWeather meteorologist

December 16,2016, 1:01:44PM,EST

 

 Fans who brave the bone-chilling cold at the Chicago Bears game on Sunday, Dec. 18, may endure the coldest football game in Chicago’s history.

A new blast of arctic air will settle over the Midwest on Sunday, following snow and ice into Saturday night.
The Chicago Bears will take on their division rival Green Bay Packers at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday.
The lowest recorded kick-off temperature at Soldier Field was on Dec. 22, 2008, when the Bears squared off against the Packers, with the air temperature at 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperatures around kick-off are forecast to be near or slightly below zero on Sunday.
"There will be 10- to 15-mph winds, producing AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures around 20 below zero,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said.
The cold will sting despite some sunshine.
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According to the Chicago Tribune, the coldest recorded wind chill at Soldier Field was 15 below zero on Dec. 18, 1983.
AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures account for more factors than just the wind to determine how the temperature actually feels outside.

A Chicago Bears fan sits bundled up against the cold during the first half of an NFL football game between the Bears and Detroit Lions, Sunday, Jan. 3,2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

While Bears and Packers fans and players are accustomed to cold December football games, precautions should need to be taken due to the extreme nature of the cold this weekend.
Hand and foot warmers, blankets and plenty of layers will be needed for the hearty fans that brave the frigid conditions. The cold will be dangerous for those not properly dressed.
The Bears game this weekend will leave its mark in the record books of coldest NFL games, but will fall short of reaching the coldest football game ever played. Known as “The Ice Bowl”, the Dallas Cowboys faced the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Dec. 31, 1967, with a temperature of minus 13 and a wind chill of minus 48.