Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers weather forecast: Frigid, windy at Highmark Stadium
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) – As Sunday’s Bills vs. Steelers Wild Card game at Highmark Stadium approaches, we continue to monitor the potential for impactful weather for the game.
High winds and frigid wind chills look likely, and snow is possible.
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Weekend weather outlook
A dynamic system approaches the region Friday into Saturday, which leads to the beginning of the active weather for the weekend. A rain/snow mix Friday late evening transitions to all rain as temperatures warm up. This will not last long, though, as temperatures drop throughout the day Saturday allowing for a transition from rain to snow.
As this cold air filters in Saturday, winds increase and lake snow develops going into Saturday night. Localized lake snow continues to develop east of Lake Erie and stays south of Buffalo Sunday. Gusts could reach as high as 40+ mph. Lake Erie’s water temperature remains above average with record warm water — combined with the coldest air of the season so far, this allows for the lake effect setup.
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Lake-effect snow will be ongoing south of Buffalo on Sunday, but as of Wednesday afternoon, it is too early to pinpoint the exact location of the snow band.
A lake-effect snow band will set up south of the city on Sunday, but it is too early to pinpoint the exact location. High wind gusts are expected Sunday.
Pregame and tailgate conditions
Temperatures only reach into the 20s on Sunday, so when you factor in the wind, wind chills will be close to 0.
For the tailgate and drive to the game, lake-effect snow will be ongoing south of Buffalo, but again, it is too soon to say whether the stadium in Orchard Park — roughly nine miles south of Buffalo — will be impacted. Through the morning, winds look to already be gusting at around 40 mph. Wind chills will be in the single digits before and during the game.
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In-game conditions
The temperature is expected to be 24 degrees for kickoff at 1 p.m. During the game, winds may gust as high as 50 mph. Lake snow will continue south of Buffalo during the game, though the exact location of the band cannot yet be determined.
Postgame commute
Travel before and after the game will be a concern depending on the location of the snow band. Blowing snow and reduced visibility could also be a concern under the snow band as the winds stay strong throughout Sunday night.
We will continue to monitor the weather and will update this article as the game gets closer and include snowfall forecasts when appropriate. Wind gusts have also varied in strength for the weekend but the signal is there for strong winds and frigid wind chills as the cold air filters in.
Betting line
The weather forecast could be impacting the betting line on the Bills-Steelers game. While the Bills remain 10-point favorites as of Wednesday, the total has shrunk to just 36 points after opening several points higher.
What are the players saying?
“I mean, that’s playoff football I guess, right?” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said Wednesday when asked about the weather. “And then, especially in the northeast, you know, this is two teams that are used to this type of weather and the game plans are gonna be probably slightly different than what we’re both used to, but again, it’s whoever can come out on Sunday and execute the best.
“We just got to be sound schematically and within our fundamentals,” Allen added. “The wind may move the ball a little bit. Again, having the experience that I do in the stadium and knowing wind patterns — what they will expect them to be, at least — just having a good sense of that and again, just finding ways to get our playmakers the ball on the outside. Typically, it’s going to be with weather like this, a game that both teams are going to run the ball and it’s going to be very possession-limited so we got to make these possessions count.”
Allen also gave a shout-out to the Bills’ equipment staff.
“We’ve got the best equipment guys, and the equipment staff in really in the league, in my opinion. Our guys work hard,” Allen said. “They do things the right way, they’re already prepared for a situation like this. And again, we feel like we’ve been in these types of games and weather conditions, so, we don’t focus on that at all cause we don’t have to cause our equipment staff’s so good.”
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Nick Guzzo is a meteorologist who joined the News 4 team in 2023. He is a graduate of Penn State. Follow Nick on Twitter/X here.
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