Kickoff at 11AM CDT/Noon EDT in Columbus, OH.
The weather for our first game of the 2020 season is going to be a bit of a challenge.
As it appears now, Saturday will bring about a change in the weather. Friday looks quite warm in Columbus, but at this time, both major computer models are forecasting a cold front to move through on Saturday. Timing of the front currently looks like Saturday morning, meaning the game itself will be played in mostly or completely colder air. Exact timing of the front will need to be refined as we get closer to Saturday, as no model is accurate down to a few hours several days in advance.
Best guess at this point is the game will be played with temperatures in the 50s, though it may actually fall during the game as this is a stronger-than-average cold front. It's still October, thankfully, as this front a month later would be quite a bit colder.
It won't be just temperatures to monitor. There's also a rain chance associated with the front. Currently, the best chance for rain will be early in the day, meaning the game itself would have minimal rain impacts -- but again, will need to refine the exact timing of the front to help refine the timing of the rain. At this time, best chance for rain is Saturday morning, decreasing during the afternoon. But still can't rule out rain for the game itself at this point in a forecast.
I'd also expect some wind with the front. It won't be light to calm winds. Uncertainty if the wind is more in the 10-15 MPH range or stronger.
Obviously, this forecast will need some updating as the week progresses. Main take away at this point is that the weather has the potential to play a role. It's not a clearly sunny, mild type of day being expected.
The weather for our first game of the 2020 season is going to be a bit of a challenge.
As it appears now, Saturday will bring about a change in the weather. Friday looks quite warm in Columbus, but at this time, both major computer models are forecasting a cold front to move through on Saturday. Timing of the front currently looks like Saturday morning, meaning the game itself will be played in mostly or completely colder air. Exact timing of the front will need to be refined as we get closer to Saturday, as no model is accurate down to a few hours several days in advance.
Best guess at this point is the game will be played with temperatures in the 50s, though it may actually fall during the game as this is a stronger-than-average cold front. It's still October, thankfully, as this front a month later would be quite a bit colder.
It won't be just temperatures to monitor. There's also a rain chance associated with the front. Currently, the best chance for rain will be early in the day, meaning the game itself would have minimal rain impacts -- but again, will need to refine the exact timing of the front to help refine the timing of the rain. At this time, best chance for rain is Saturday morning, decreasing during the afternoon. But still can't rule out rain for the game itself at this point in a forecast.
I'd also expect some wind with the front. It won't be light to calm winds. Uncertainty if the wind is more in the 10-15 MPH range or stronger.
Obviously, this forecast will need some updating as the week progresses. Main take away at this point is that the weather has the potential to play a role. It's not a clearly sunny, mild type of day being expected.
