NFL Wild Card Weekend Weather Report and Forecast - Potential rain in SF
As usual in my NFL weather forecasts, the main focus is to identify games with high winds or heavy rain. Of all possible weather variables, wind is the biggest detriment to offenses, with a 15+mph wind being impactful and anything over 20mph sustained becoming a major problem for passing and kicking. Rain is another important factor in scoring, in particular heavy rain, which makes it harder to both throw and catch a pass, as well as turnovers increasing across the board. Temperature rarely impacts scoring, so it will only be noted here in extreme cases, like late-season games with temps below freezing. You can use this to your advantage making your picks on DFS sites and sportsbooks.
It’s also worth noting that while winds are fairly predictable a few days out, trying to pinpoint rain over a stadium is difficult even a few hours ahead of a game. So for the very latest info as the NFL Wild Card Weekend forecast changes, stay tuned to @KevinRothWx on Twitter or check my main NFL weather forecast page.
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NFL Wild Card Weekend Weather Report & Forecast
Saturday January 14th
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – If there’s going to be an ugly game this week, this is where it’ll happen. Santa Clara (where the game is played) is under a Flood Watch this weekend, with heavy rain and gusty winds likely over the course of the weekend. However, digging a bit deeper into forecast models, it looks like the worst of the weather is likely for Saturday morning, and things quiet down somewhat by gametime (with then another batch following after the game). I do think we’re maybe a bit too far out to try to perfectly time out these heavy rain/wind bands, so I would certainly follow the forecast as it evolves, but my current thinking is that we are able to dodge the truly ugly weather, and play mostly dry or in light rain with winds around 10mph sustained. If that’s the case impacts would be minimal. If the timing changes and we do see a heavier band, much more significant impacts are possible.
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars – Cool with a temp in the 40s, 10mph wind. Neither of those will have any impact on the game.
Sunday January 15th
New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings – They have a dome, which removes any potential fun weather elements here.
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – Temp around freezing with calm winds. Considering the location, that’s as good as you could ask for, and I don’t expect any real impact to play.
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals – Temp around 40 degrees with light winds. All in all nice weather.
Monday January 16th
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 60 degrees with light winds in beautiful Tampa Florida.
Overall Wild Card Weekend Weather Forecast
When looking for an edge, I’m always trying to find high winds first, and rain/snow second. These weekend the only game where we have the potential for either of those issues is in San Francisco (Santa Clara). As it currently stands I think they avoid the more signifcant impacts, but I’ll keep an eye on it. As I mentioned earlier, it’s best to follow forecasts right up until kickoff, so stay tuned to @KevinRothWx for the latest.
Image Credit: Imagn