Where Mother Nature Could Play a Hand in Upcoming Football Games

It is one of the busiest weekends of the year for sports. NCAA rivalry week and a full slate of big NFL games will have Americans glued to the television over the long holiday weekend. Will the weather cooperate with some of the biggest games of the season? Read on for a look at where the weather could be the most impactful in the days ahead.

College Football and the Weather

The number one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday to take on the 15th-ranked Michigan Wolverines. While fans may not appreciate the early noon kickoff, the timing means that the forecasted snow may not hit until later in the game. The forecast for Ann Arbor is calling for the snow to fire up in the afternoon hours, increasing in intensity in the evening and overnight hours.

After picking up about an inch of snow during the day, the college town is expecting another 3 to 5 inches overnight. Winds will also pick up after the sun goes down, coming in at 10 to 15 mph from the south-southeast. It will be a frigid day with a high of 30 degrees and lows that land in the mid 20s.

There are a number of other college games on Saturday where snow or rain could influence the outcome. The University of Colorado Buffaloes will take on the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas, at 11 am local time. Fans should prepare for periods of rain early, amounting to about a quarter of an inch of rainfall. A morning high of 42 degrees will fall into the mid 20s as the day progresses. Winds will also increase, gusting to over 40 mph at times.

The Big 10 matchup between Northwestern University and the University of Illinois is likely to turn into a major snow event. Champaign, Illinois, is bracing for 3 to 5 inches of snow during the day and another 1 to 3 inches overnight. With a kickoff of 6:30 pm local time, there will likely be several inches of snow on the ground by the time that the teams take to the field. Spectators will want to bundle up with a high of just 30 degrees and winds out of the southeast at 15 to 25 mph.

Heavy rain and the possibility of thunderstorms will be the issue in the South. It is setting up to be a soaker of a day in Fayetteville, Arkansas, when the Arkansas Razorbacks host the Missouri Tigers. In addition to rain showers, the town will see the threat of thunderstorms. Winds will be whipping around from the south-southwest at speeds of 15 to 25 mph. Highs will hover in the mid 40s before sliding to about 22 degrees.

NFL Games and the Weather

There are a handful of NFL games that will also be impacted by the weather on Sunday. It could be a messy affair in Cleveland when the hometown Browns host the San Francisco 49ers. Cleveland will wake up to cloudy skies with scattered rain or snow showers. The moisture will begin to transition to all snow in time for the early afternoon kickoff. One of the biggest weather stories will be the winds, whipping around at 20 to 30 mph from the southwest. Highs will top out at about 38 degrees before bottoming out at the 30-degree mark overnight.