Chiefs-Steelers NFL Divisional Playoff Game Pushed Back by Winter Storm Jupiter

Jon Erdman
Published: January 14,2017
One NFL playoff game this weekend may be impacted not by extreme cold, wind or snow, but rather freezing rain.
Winter Storm Jupiter is expected to inflict a damaging ice storm on parts of the Plains this weekend. Some of this icy mess is likely to affect the site of Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game between the host Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium.
On Friday afternoon, the NFL moved the start time of this game to 7:20 pm CST due to weather concerns according to a statement from the League.
Freezing rain began in the Kansas City metro area Friday night and will continue at times through at least Sunday.
(FORECAST: Kansas City Five-Day Outlook)
Furthermore, if you plan to drive to Kansas City prior to game day from the south, west or east, you may be dealing with icy travel.
(MORE: Winter Storm Jupiter Ice Storm Forecast)

Game Day Forecast

By Sunday morning, ice accumulations are expected to be enough to make any untreated roads, streets, sidewalks and parking lots in the Kansas City metro area hazardous. Power outages and some tree damage is possible, as well.
For now, Sunday's forecast has a threat of freezing rain early in the day, finally changing over to rain later. Rainfall should be the dominant precipitation type by the start of the game, given the new game time.
(MORE: 5 Things You Should Know About Ice Storms)

Hourly Forecast: AFC Divisional Playoff in Kansas City Sunday

So, there is some cautious optimism that by the game's end, light rain should begin to thaw any iced-up, untreated roads.
However, if you plan to drive north and west of Kansas City after the game, you may want to consider altering those plans. The ice storm will be ramping up into Sunday night in Nebraska and Iowa, and will still be ongoing in parts of western and northern Kansas, as well as parts of northern Missouri.

Sunday Night's Forecast

According to the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs have started pretreating parking lots and roads leading to the gates.
"We have a full plan in place that will keep the facility and the grounds around the facility as safe as possible," Chiefs President Mark Donovan told the Kansas City Star.
This won't be an "Ice Bowl II," however. The field at Arrowhead Stadium is heated, so there's no concern about patches of ice on the grass itself. However, it's safe to assume the field will be wet during the game.

Arrowhead's Interesting Late-Season Weather

This will be the fourth consecutive Chiefs home game where the weather has at least been interesting, if not impactful.
The Chiefs hosted the Oakland Raiders for a big Week 14 Thursday night divisional battle Dec. 8, with a kickoff temperature of only 21 degrees.

Outside linebacker Frank Zombo of the Kansas City Chiefs watches the scoreboard from the sidelines during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 18, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri.
(Peter Aiken/Getty Images)

That was the coldest game at Arrowhead since Dec. 26, 2010, and only the fifth time the Raiders played in temperatures colder than 25 degrees since 2000, according to CBS Sports.
(MORE: 5 Best and Worst Weather NFL Cities)
Just 10 days later, the cold outdid itself on Dec. 18.
With a kickoff temperature of 1 degree, and a wind chill of minus 9, the Chiefs and Tennessee Titans played in the record-tying coldest game in Arrowhead Stadium history, tying Dec. 18, 1983.
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, born and raised in Honolulu and a University of Oregon alumnus, said before the game that it would "probably be the coldest game I've ever played." Yet his Titans upset the Chiefs 19-17.
After two straight teeth-rattling games, oddly enough, the concern for this Week 16 Christmas night game against the arch-rival Denver Broncos was for thunderstorms and strong winds.
Fortunately, the severe thunderstorms, even a few tornadoes, remained well west of Kansas City and occurred earlier in the day.
Kansas City came within 2 degrees of tying its warmest Christmas Day on record, rising to 65 degrees before rain arrived in time for kickoff, making the field sloppy.
Despite that, temperatures were still in the low to mid-50s during the game, and winds weren't too disruptive.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been an incurable weather geek since a tornado narrowly missed his childhood home in Wisconsin at age 7.
MORE: Winter Storm Jupiter Photos - January 2017