Could rain threaten Super Bowl 55 in Tampa?
By
Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Updated Feb 2, 2021 10:22 AM EDT
On Jan. 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. All seven crew members lost their lives on that tragic day as this failure would go on to be one of the worst disasters in NASA's history.
Amid all the craziness and uncertainties of the 2020 NFL season, only two teams remain in the quest for the Lombardi Trophy. While Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady will surely be lighting it up out of the shotgun formation during the game, AccuWeather forecasters are monitoring to see if Mother Nature will be calling any audibles in Tampa in the hours leading up to the big game.
Over the years, the city of Tampa has hosted five Super Bowls, two of which at the current home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium. Historically, Tampa always features some of the warmest weather nationwide during the first week of February courtesy of its location in the lower latitudes and proximity to the warm Gulf of Mexico.
Season ticket holders, Jeremy and Daytona Stoner, of Tampa, take a photo of themselves outside an empty Raymond James Stadium before an NFL football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
With an average high temperature in Tampa in the lower 70s F during the first week of February, it's no coincidence the city has hosted the big game more than a few times.
However, in the days leading up to the big game, temperatures will be anything but seasonable across a majority of the Sunshine State.
High temperatures will stay in the 50s F in Tampa through midweek, which is about 10-15 degrees below average.
By Thursday and Friday, conditions are expected to turn warmer across a majority of Florida as winds shift out of the south, allowing for a more seasonable, and slightly more humid air mass to settle into the area. Dry weather with sunshine is expected to persist for the remainder of the week.
Unfortunately, the quiet conditions may come to an end this weekend as final preparations are being made.
AccuWeather meteorologists will be monitoring a storm system that will be making a cross-country trek this week, which may end up bringing rain to the Tampa area at the end of the week or during the early part of the weekend.
A greater chance for soaking rain may emerge later in the weekend as a new storm develops in the Gulf of Mexico and sweeps northeastward across the Sunshine State.
With the exact timing of this storm system and any associated rainfall still being ironed out, it may be wise for any visitors or staff working in the Tampa area to keep an umbrella handy both Saturday and Sunday.
Although the weekend may feature chances for wet weather, temperatures do look to be rather comfortable in the lower to middle 70s for both Saturday and Sunday, a far cry from both of the conference championship games played by the Buccaneers and Chiefs in the chilly Midwest.
While there is still plenty of time for the forecast to be adjusted, next Sunday afternoon looks to feature the chance for showers, depending on the exact speed of this system. Afternoon high temperatures in the lower 70s will likely fall a few degrees by kickoff. Players and fans alike can still expect comfortably mild weather, forecasters say.
This will be the year of many firsts for the upcoming Super Bowl, including this year being the first time one of the participating teams plays at their home stadium. Another Super Bowl first this year is that this is the first time the defending champion quarterback and the quarterback who won the Super Bowl two years ago will face off.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) in action against the Chicago Bears during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
There has also been a number of "what if?" scenarios that have been floating around on message boards and by sports analysts regarding the upcoming Super Bowl. A number of years back, NFL executives had originally determined the location of this years' Super Bowl to be held at the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Yet, due to rounds of heavy rain which led to delays during the construction of the stadium, the venue was switched to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
While SoFi Stadium is open for business now, one of the requirements to host the Super Bowl is that the stadium must have at least two years of operations, which it fell short of due to construction delays.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of the NFL AFC championship football game, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Maybe the change in venue is just what Tom Brady needs for all the stars to align in order to win his seventh Super Bowl ring, or maybe this could set the stage for superstar Patrick Mahomes to pull off a major win against the Buccaneers in their home stadium.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Could rain threaten Super Bowl 55 in Tampa?
By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Updated Feb 2, 2021 10:22 AM EDT
On Jan. 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. All seven crew members lost their lives on that tragic day as this failure would go on to be one of the worst disasters in NASA's history.
Amid all the craziness and uncertainties of the 2020 NFL season, only two teams remain in the quest for the Lombardi Trophy. While Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady will surely be lighting it up out of the shotgun formation during the game, AccuWeather forecasters are monitoring to see if Mother Nature will be calling any audibles in Tampa in the hours leading up to the big game.
Over the years, the city of Tampa has hosted five Super Bowls, two of which at the current home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium. Historically, Tampa always features some of the warmest weather nationwide during the first week of February courtesy of its location in the lower latitudes and proximity to the warm Gulf of Mexico.
Season ticket holders, Jeremy and Daytona Stoner, of Tampa, take a photo of themselves outside an empty Raymond James Stadium before an NFL football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
With an average high temperature in Tampa in the lower 70s F during the first week of February, it's no coincidence the city has hosted the big game more than a few times.
However, in the days leading up to the big game, temperatures will be anything but seasonable across a majority of the Sunshine State.
High temperatures will stay in the 50s F in Tampa through midweek, which is about 10-15 degrees below average.
By Thursday and Friday, conditions are expected to turn warmer across a majority of Florida as winds shift out of the south, allowing for a more seasonable, and slightly more humid air mass to settle into the area. Dry weather with sunshine is expected to persist for the remainder of the week.
Unfortunately, the quiet conditions may come to an end this weekend as final preparations are being made.
AccuWeather meteorologists will be monitoring a storm system that will be making a cross-country trek this week, which may end up bringing rain to the Tampa area at the end of the week or during the early part of the weekend.
A greater chance for soaking rain may emerge later in the weekend as a new storm develops in the Gulf of Mexico and sweeps northeastward across the Sunshine State.
With the exact timing of this storm system and any associated rainfall still being ironed out, it may be wise for any visitors or staff working in the Tampa area to keep an umbrella handy both Saturday and Sunday.
Although the weekend may feature chances for wet weather, temperatures do look to be rather comfortable in the lower to middle 70s for both Saturday and Sunday, a far cry from both of the conference championship games played by the Buccaneers and Chiefs in the chilly Midwest.
While there is still plenty of time for the forecast to be adjusted, next Sunday afternoon looks to feature the chance for showers, depending on the exact speed of this system. Afternoon high temperatures in the lower 70s will likely fall a few degrees by kickoff. Players and fans alike can still expect comfortably mild weather, forecasters say.
This will be the year of many firsts for the upcoming Super Bowl, including this year being the first time one of the participating teams plays at their home stadium. Another Super Bowl first this year is that this is the first time the defending champion quarterback and the quarterback who won the Super Bowl two years ago will face off.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) in action against the Chicago Bears during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
There has also been a number of "what if?" scenarios that have been floating around on message boards and by sports analysts regarding the upcoming Super Bowl. A number of years back, NFL executives had originally determined the location of this years' Super Bowl to be held at the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Yet, due to rounds of heavy rain which led to delays during the construction of the stadium, the venue was switched to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
While SoFi Stadium is open for business now, one of the requirements to host the Super Bowl is that the stadium must have at least two years of operations, which it fell short of due to construction delays.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of the NFL AFC championship football game, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Maybe the change in venue is just what Tom Brady needs for all the stars to align in order to win his seventh Super Bowl ring, or maybe this could set the stage for superstar Patrick Mahomes to pull off a major win against the Buccaneers in their home stadium.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo