Hurricane Ian could have big impact on Bills-Ravens game as rain expected all weekend

One of the prevailing storylines of the Buffalo Bills 2021 season was all the inclement weather they were forced to play in, especially at Highmark Stadium.

Four games into 2022, Mother Nature is at it again.

The Bills had to play in uncomfortably high heat in their season opener at Los Angeles, and then in oppressive heat and humidity last week in Miami when several players had to leave the field because of cramping so severe that they required IVs on the sideline or in the locker room.

“That’s the hottest I can recall,” coach Sean McDermott admitted.

Sign up for the Bills Blast newsletterDelivered straight to your inbox, additional Bills analysis, insight, stats, quotes and team history from Sal Maiorana

Baltimore weather looks to be rainy for Bills vs Ravens

Now Sunday in Baltimore, the remnants of Hurricane Ian are expected to have an impact on the Bills showdown with the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, though it appears that it won't be as severe as the original forecast called for.

On Friday, the National Weather Service said that rain was expected to begin late Friday night in the Baltimore area and continue until Tuesday and it will be in the light-to-moderate range with chances of heavier showers and thunderstorms possible throughout that time frame. That was the case for most of Saturday, and now on Sunday morning, right now it's raining lightly, but certainly not steadily.

“We’ll see where the weather is going,” McDermott said. “I think that could be another factor as this hurricane maybe moves up the coast. We’re keeping an eye on it, and so we’ll just see where things go from here. Just kind of how these systems tend to trend up the coast in particular … it was to be expected and I think that’s some of what we’re expecting for Sunday here. We’ll adapt where necessary and yeah, when you’re getting a forecast for some wind and some rain that could affect the game in some ways.”

A coastal flood advisory was issued for Maryland’s Anne Arundel County from 2 a.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. and the forecast called for as much as three-quarters of an inch of rain both Friday and Saturday and then after a respite, the rain is expected to pick back up again Sunday. Those rain totals did not get reached.

Obviously, if it does rain hard, the offenses of both teams could be affected, particularly passing the ball. “Just got to make sure that we’re ready for that,” quarterback Josh Allen said.

Josh Allen 2018 debut was against Ravens in rainy Baltimore

Interestingly, the first game of Allen’s career was in the 2018 season opener at Baltimore, and the weather that day was miserable, though not as miserable as the final score which read 47-3 in favor of Baltimore.

Buffalo Bills pictures:From NFL Week 1 2018 vs the Baltimore Ravens

“It’s looking like it’s going to be similar weather to that game,” he said. “It was a torrential downpour in that first one. After going in there at halftime, I remember how the ball felt. It was kind of a weird, tacky ball. Again, it was just torrential downpour.”

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal's new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Baltimore weather: Will Bills vs Ravens game be affected by hurricane?