Brutal cold to arrive in Minneapolis in time for Eagles, Patriots matchup in Super Bowl 52
The temperature on Sunday in Minneapolis could be the lowest ever recorded in a host city on the day of the Super Bowl.
While the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots will square off indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium for the Super Bowl 52 title on Feb. 4, fans traveling to the game should be prepared for brutally cold conditions when spending time outdoors in the city.
Shots of dangerously cold air will continue to pour into the Upper Midwest through the weekend.
In this Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 photo, barricades are viewed near U.S. Bank Stadium in preparation for the NFL Super Bowl football game in Minneapolis. The Philadelphia Eagles play the New England Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 4. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
While temperatures were in the 30s earlier this week, as the colder air arrives the temperatures will plummet to around 8 degrees Fahrenheit by Sunday.
The normal high for Feb. 4 in the city is 26 F while the normal low is 9. A record high of 51 was set in 2005, while a record low of minus 28 was recorded in 1886. In 2017, the high for the date was 35 and the low was 13.
Minneapolis has a series of skyways that connect various buildings throughout the city, giving pedestrians the opportunity walk to different locations out of the elements.
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the weather for the first week of February varies greatly in Minneapolis. February is also not a typically snowy month in the city and the record for daily snowfall on Feb. 4 is 4.4 inches in 1971.
However, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said an Alberta clipper storm could bring some light snowfall to the city at the start of the weekend.
"There is the potential for a light but slippery snowfall in the Minneapolis area that may lead to travel delays," Sosnowski said. "The weather looks to be dry and very cold on Sunday with temperatures no higher than the single digits and AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures well below zero."
This is the sixth time in NFL history that a Super Bowl will be held in a cold-weather destination. The most recent occurrence came in Super Bowl 48 when the Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos at the open-air MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Feb. 2, 2014.
However, the NFL escaped typical early February conditions that day as it turned out unseasonably mild and mainly dry in North Jersey. Highs were in the mid-50s when normal highs for that time of year are in the low 40s.
The first Super Bowl that was held in a northern, cold-weather city was Super Bowl 16 between the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, on Jan. 24, 1982. The high on the day was 16 F.
According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the lowest temperature at kickoff in Super Bowl history for an outdoor game is 39 F during Super Bowl 6 in 1972 when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.
This will be the second Super Bowl that Minneapolis has hosted. The previous occasion came on Jan. 26, 1992, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome when the Washington Redskins beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 26.
The high that day was 26 and the low was 7.
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