Sports
Frigid Forecast Could Bring Brutal Wind Chill To Bears Vs. Rams Game
A wintry pattern will return to the Chicago area, including on Sunday for the Bears-Rams game. Could it be one of the coldest games ever?
On Sunday, the Chicago Bears will face the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, with kick-off at 5:30 p.m. at Soldier Field in Chicago. And while the Windy City is a welcoming place, the weather may not be so hospitable to the California football team.
A wintry pattern is coming back to the Chicago area, with a snowy, windy and cold pattern possible through at least early next week, according to the National Weather Service.
Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson told the Chicago Sun-Times that this would be the coldest game of the season for the Rams. The Rams haven't played in under 20 degrees since a 2022 game against the Green Bay Packers, when it was 15 degrees, according to the Sun-Times. It was also the team's coldest game since they moved back to Los Angeles from St. Louis a decade ago.
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Johnson told the Sun-Times he wasn't sure how much of an advantage plunging temperatures could give the Bears, but said he likes the cold:
AccuWeather is calling for weather that is "cloudy and frigid with a flurry early, then an hour or two of snow." The forecaster predicted a high of 19 degrees, with a "RealFeel" of 5 degrees. Winds will be west southwest at 13 mph.
Find out what's happening in Homer Glen-Lockportfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
For Sunday evening, the forecaster gave a "RealFeel" prediction of -3 degrees. AccuWeather gave a 64 percent probability of precipitation, with a little over half an inch of snow.
Although it will be cold on Sunday, the coldest Bears game played at Soldier Field was in 2008. According to ChicagoBears.com, during the Dec. 22, 2008 game vs. Green Bay, it was -2 degrees with a -13 degree wind chill.
The second-coldest game was in December 1983, also against Green Bay. It was -3 degrees that day, with a -15 wind chill.
Meanwhile, the coldest game in NFL history was in 1967 at Lambeau Field, for the Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys, according to NFL.com. It was -13 degrees, with a -48 degree wind chill.
This upcoming wintry weather pattern will provide "regular opportunities for snow, blustery northwest winds and cold temperatures," the weather service said on its Facebook.
According to the weather service, there are snow chances on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the Chicago area.
Related: NFL Commish Visits Potential Stadium Sites As Bears Talk Infrastructure With Pritzker
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