As the Patriots and Eagles players take to their designated practice facilities today in preparation for the Super Bowl on Sunday, fans from New England, Philadelphia and other parts the country are preparing to board planes to Minnesota to be there for the big game. The question on the minds of many of these fans; will there be any winter weather that will affect flights and cause delays or cancellations? Our team here at Tomorrow.io has some good news and some not-so-good news for all of them. Big thanks to our meteorology team members Micheal Huguet and Costa Christopolous for the forecasts used for this.
LANDING IN MINNESOTA
First let’s talk about weather in Minnesota since that will affect travelers no matter where they’re coming from. Not surprisingly, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and the other main airports in the Twin Cities will see increased traffic throughout the weekend because of the Super Bowl. The Federal Aviation Administration is expecting these airports will have 3,500 additional take-offs and landings between Thursday and Monday. The weather should cooperate for those arriving in Minnesota Wednesday or Thursday, but there is the possibility of snowfall around MSP late Friday night and into and Saturday that could have some impact.
PROBABILITY OF WEATHER IMPACTING TRAVEL [MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL]:
Thursday: LOW (High temperature around 5°F, low around -5°F)
Friday: LOW (30% chance of snowfall by midnight)
Saturday: MEDIUM (70% chance of snowfall through 10 PM)
Sunday: LOW (High temperature around 5°F, low around -10°F)
Monday: LOW (No weather impacts forecast at this time, but high uncertainty)
TRAVELING FROM PHILADELPHIA
Fans leaving from Philadelphia should keep their eyes on precipitation that will be arriving late Thursday night. It should start as rain Thursday night and change to snow early Friday morning with a medium probability that the snow showers will persist through midday. For those returning home Monday, they could see a similar scenario of rain mixing with snow throughout the day in a stronger, developing low pressure system with potential to impact travel.
PROBABILITY OF WEATHER IMPACTING TRAVEL [PHILADELPHIA]:
Thursday: MEDIUM (60% chance of rain after 9 pm Thursday)
Friday: MEDIUM (Rain changing to snow before 6 am, 50% chance of snow through noon )
Saturday: LOW (No weather impacts forecast at this time)
Sunday: MEDIUM (30% chance of snow showers after noon, mixing with rain overnight)
Monday: HIGH (70% chance of rain or snow throughout the day, high uncertainty on the precip type)
TRAVELING FROM BOSTON
Fans leaving from Boston will have some similar weather systems to deal with as their counterparts in Philly. There’s a medium probability of snow changing into rain Thursday morning into the afternoon. This should rain should become snow Friday morning and persist into that afternoon. A second, more powerful low pressure system affects the area Sunday into Monday PM with possible bursts of snow that could impact returning flights. This gives Boston travelers a very tight window of clear travel on Saturday and late Monday.
PROBABILITY OF WEATHER IMPACTING TRAVEL [BOSTON]:
Thursday: MEDIUM (60% chance of snow showers changing to rain after 12 pm)
Friday: MEDIUM (70% chance of rain changing to snow after sunrise and lasting to afternoon)
Saturday: LOW (No weather impacts forecast at this time)
Sunday: MEDIUM (40% chance of rain or snow showers throughout the day)
Monday: HIGH (70% chance of rain or snow changing to rain, lasting into the evening. High uncertainty on the timing of event and precip type changeover)
While there isn’t any sign of a huge storm this weekend like the blizzard both Philadelphia and Boston had in early January, there are a number of smaller weather events that could certainly have an impact on travel. Here at Tomorrow.io headquarters in Boston we’re hoping that fans from all over can travel delay-free to Minnesota this weekend to see an amazing game. Although the stadium is indoors, bundle up on Sunday – temperatures outside the stadium will be in the single digits!
Go Pats!
