Intense heat may score a new record during Sunday's big game kickoff
For millions of Canadians, eyes will be glued to the TV for the big game Sunday, an event that may be played in record-breaking heat.
Parts of Canada will be sheltering indoors to watch Sunday's championship football game amid frigid temperatures outside, but it's the players who will be feeling the heat in more ways than one.
California is in the midst of an unusual winter heat wave, prompting the issue of a heat advisory from the Los Angeles National Weather Service (NWS). It isn't set to expire until 9 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. PST) Sunday, well beyond the 6:30 p.m. EDT (3:30 p.m. PST) kickoff time for the Los Angeles Rams-Cincinnati Bengals National Football League (NFL) match.
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The temperatures during the game in Los Angeles, Calif., could be record-setting. The current record for the highest temperature during an NFL championship game is 28.9°C (84°F) set in 1973, also played in L.A. As of now, the forecast is calling is for a daytime high of 29°C (84.2°F), so it is possible a new record will be set.
The only other time when the temperature during the championship game has been above 26.7°C (80°F) was when the game was held in San Diego in 2003.
While the game kicks off with temperatures approaching 30°C in L.A., many of Canada's major cities -- including Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg -- will be shivering with temperatures in the negative teens. Cincinnati, Ohio, will be considerably colder than L.A., but it will still be much warmer than Central Canada.
The reason for the California heat? A ridge of high-pressure that has been parked over the West Coast since the beginning of the month. The pattern has generated strong Santa Ana winds, notable for ushering hot air into L.A. and surrounding communities from nearby desert regions.
While a February heat wave in Southern California is not totally unheard of, it's the duration of the event that is newsworthy. Forecasters expect dozens of records to be broken across the state.
As well, the duration of the heat may tie the record of five successive days of 29.4°C-plus temperatures (85°F-plus) that was established from Feb. 8-12, 2016. This was the only other occurrence of a prolonged bout of intense heat in February.
Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest forecast details on Sunday's big game.