Bills vs. Steelers weather updates: How cold is it for NFL playoff game in Buffalo?

David Suggs

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Bills vs. Steelers weather updates: How cold is it for NFL playoff game in Buffalo? image

Highmark Stadium will be a winter wonderland for Monday's Bills-Steelers wild-card clash.

Located a stone's throw away from Niagara Falls, Buffalo's favorite colosseum has played host to countless storms. Few have reached the ferocity of the city's latest one; however, snow flurries proved so intense that the matchup — originally pegged for a Sunday afternoon kickoff — was postponed.

Monday's forecast should be kinder for those hoping to make the pilgrimage to Queen City. The snowfall that scourged the region one day earlier has ground to a halt. That doesn't mean it won't be cold, however. Then again, it's January in Buffalo. Did anyone expect anything different?

LIVE: Steelers battle Bills in AFC wild-card contest

With that, here are the latest updates on all things weather ahead of Monday afternoon's contest between the Bills and Steelers.

Bills vs. Steelers weather updates

Contrary to popular belief, Monday afternoon's game is not expected to be scorned with plumes of snowfall. Bitter cold built up on the field on Sunday, with eight-to-17 inches of snow erupting in the city (depending on location). Highmark was cast in a fog of whiteness, one that prompted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to push the game back.

Snowfall is expected to whirl across the Buffalo skyline once more, but it's not expected to interfere with the action; per the NWS, showers are expected to return around 10 p.m. ET.

The Bills uploaded evidence from the scene of the crime on Twitter, showcasing the chaotic surroundings as snow mounded on their surface on Sunday afternoon.

Monday's game shouldn't be too bad, by comparison. The snow has largely been cleared, thanks to the help of numerous volunteer shovelers who braved the cold to break apart the frosty tundra.

Nevertheless, the cold will remain. Frigid temperatures are expected to descend on the battleground on Monday. NWS predicts that temps will sit at 18 degrees ahead of kickoff. Those will only drop once the sun goes down; temperatures are expected to reach as low as 14 degrees.

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Not only will it look cold, it will feel cold. The reason why? Wind gusts of nearly 15 mph should have those parading into stomping grounds feeling a wind chill of one degree during Monday's game.

The cold will be a challenge for all who engage with it. Snow shoveling extraordinaire Logan Eschrich told the Associated Press that it would have been nigh on impossible to take the field on Sunday afternoon.

"It would have been absolutely impossible (to play). We could barely see the next row down from us. And unfortunately, it’s still that way," Eschrich said. "We made progress shoveling, but not much at all."

The progress will be more evident once Monday's affair drops. That's because the volunteer snow shovelers cleared out a substantive amount of snow. Much of that snow was displaced in the parking spots, meaning there is but a limited number of parking spaces for those hoping to attend the game. Complimentary shuttle bus services will be on offer for those unable to find on-site parking.

Still, it's better than the alternative. Football is back in Buffalo, one way or another. It's just going to be happening in arctic conditions.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.