BUFFALO, N.Y. — This season the Buffalo Bills have played in extreme heat, gusty winds and lake effect snow, so why not add bitterly cold wind chills to the mix before the year is over?
A very strong winter storm will take aim at the Midwest Thursday and Friday, including Chicago, and will bring blizzard-like conditions as well as bitterly cold temperatures before moving into Buffalo Friday. Both impacts will have implications around the game: one for travel and the other is a gameday concern.
If you're planning on going to the game this Saturday in Chicago, you'll want to be in the city prior to Thursday afternoon as the winter storm will bear down on the city Thursday afternoon through Saturday morning.
A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for the greater Chicagoland area from 9 a.m. Thursday through 6 a.m. Saturday. With strong winds and blizzard-like conditions expected throughout that entire time frame, it will be difficult to near impossible for planes to make it in and out of Midway or O'Hare Airport.
As for the game itself, the snow will probably be over, but the wind and cold will not. While the wind speed and gust speed are still in question, the direction is not. Winds Saturday will be out of the north/northwest, ushering in extremely cold temperatures and wind chill.
Temperatures Saturday at kickoff, 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT, will be in the single digits. Factor in the breeze, wind chills values will make it feel like below zero the entire game with it potentially as low as -10 to -20 degrees.
So besides making sure to get to Chicago on time, you'll want to bring the cold weather gear again and more of it! It's suggested that at least 3 layers of warm clothing is needed for conditions as cold as these, along with hats, gloves, scarves and face coverings too.
