Welcome back weather blog readers! The strong cold front and Bengals both arrived in Kansas City Saturday evening.
It's time to get down to business.
Here is everything you need to know about the weather for AFC Championship Sunday AKA the 5th Annual GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Invitational, as our sports producer Nick Jacobs likes to say.
Starting off Sunday
It will be a cold and windy Sunday morning. For you early risers or those of you who will be waiting in line at the Truman Sports Complex before sunrise (7:28 a.m.), you will be dealing with the coldest conditions of the day thanks to a strong north wind.
Northern Missouri and Kansas as well as North KC will be the coldest with wind chills in the negatives.
Wind chills in northern Missouri and Kansas may not rise above zero until lunch. Hiawatha, Kansas, is included in a wind chill advisory from midnight to noon Sunday as it could feel as cold as -15° there.
Brrr brunch temperatures
I'm going to give brunch a 2/10 on the Eat Outside Index. Obviously, with wind chills in the single digits, it's not going to be comfortable outside, but some sunshine does warrant two points as the sun will begin to make an appearance during this period.
Open up the gates, grills and sky
Gates for tailgating at the Truman Sports Complex open at 1 p.m., and this is just about the time sunshine comes out, finally providing a little bit of warmth for tailgaters or those just wanting to walk the dog before the game.
The combination of sunshine and very dry air will help temperatures warm into the middle 20s.
Why is dry air helpful? There is something called the specific heat capacity — the more moisture in the air, the more heat or energy it takes to change the temperature. This is why deserts heat up and cool down drastically and quickly.
Couple the sunshine with lighter wind, still blowing at 10-15 mph, in the afternoon, and it will be bearable outside for a few hours if you're wearing lots of warm clothes!
Game time
Sunset is at 5:35 p.m. Sunday, right around kickoff. Those braving the cold in the upper deck may have a nice view of a red sky at night ... a Chiefs delight!
Temperatures at the stadium at kickoff will be near 22° with the wind chill near 11° with a continued breezy north wind, which could cause the ball to move a little during kicks.
Some historical context for the cold temperatures: Meteorologist Cassie Wilson crunched the numbers and found we have an advantage whenever wind chills are below freezing!
Will weather play a role in the AFC Championship? I went through & pulled kick-off conditions over the last 4 years to see how conditions may have helped or hindered the @Chiefs. Let's just focus on the wins... both W's occurred w/ sub freezing wind chills #GoChiefs @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/2AJB3J6hPI
— ☀️ Cassie Wilson (@CassieKSHB) January 28, 2023
Postgame celebrations
By the end of the game, the wind increases a tad, and clouds will move back overhead, which may help outdoor conditions.
Clouds will help keep heat at the surface and wind will prevent the cold and warmer air from separating (cold air at the surface, warmer aloft.)
With all that being said, it will still be pretty cold with wind chills perhaps going below freezing in the northland.
If you are traveling home late Sunday into central and southern Missouri, some light snow is possible with maybe a dusting by Monday morning for cities like Butler, Clinton, Sedalia, Marshall, Concordia and Odessa.
If you want forecast updates, be sure to follow me on social media. I'm on all of them @WesWeather.
Stay warm everyone and go CHIEEEEEFS!
