Why Super Bowls in the West don’t always have picture-perfect weather

GLENDALE, Ariz. – As the eyes of the nation turn to the Southwest for Super Bowl LVII, images of palm trees and sunny skies will undoubtedly dominate the setting, but scenes can be deceiving, with conditions that can challenge what is considered to be Chamber of Commerce weather.

Under the NFL tradition of picking warm climate host cities, just shy of 30 percent of all the big games have been held in the West since the first game in 1967.

“The weather is awesome. There’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s amazing here, and I’m from Florida. We have some awesome weather there. This is beating it by a mile because it’s cool,” said Armando Salguero, senior NFL writer for Outkick.

Rainfall during the big games in the West has been hard to come by, but due to ridges of high pressure, heat and windy conditions have been common. In fact, California is home to the warmest and windiest games on record.

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AZ Superbowl Weather History

In 1973, the then-Los Angeles Coliseum hosted the warmest game on record when the Miami Dolphins took on the Washington Redskins. Fans and players experienced a kickoff temperature of 84 degrees, according to data compiled by the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

Nearly 50 years later, it was again the City of Angels that put on a show in 2022, which included a significant heatwave.

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While records were broken at observation sites, the local National Weather Service office reported the temperature at the newly built SoFi Stadium reached 82 degrees – just shy of the warmest Super Bowl ever.

Southern California is also in the weather history books for hosting the windiest game that occurred back in 1980. Pasadena, home to the Rose Bowl, was the site where the Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Los Angeles Rams under winds that gusted up to 30 mph.

Outside of windy, warm conditions, cities in the eastern half of the nation hold the records for being the wettest, coldest and those that felt the most downright miserable.

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As for the team the weather benefits the most, Salguero said due to both sides usually being the best from each conference, Mother Nature usually does not end up being a significant factor.

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During Super Bowl LVII, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts will face Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, with both teams coming from colder climates.

“They both are cold weather, open-air teams. They are able to play in that kind of weather. They’re not going to see that kind of weather here. But I would say to you, because this is despite the fact that it’s a retractable roof stadium, it’s an outdoor field. They keep the grass field outdoors. They grow it and maintain it outdoors. That’s going to help the Kansas City Chiefs, because the guy that you’re seeing on your screen, Patrick Mahomes, is dealing with an ankle injury and that soft turf is going to help that angle injury,” said Salguero.

The FOX Forecast Center expects partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s on Sunday, February 12, in Glendale, Arizona.

The Super Bowl will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be aired live on FOX and the FOX Sports App.