Super Bowl 2014: Weather Conditions In New Jersey Should Make For Coldest NFL Championship Game Ever

For the first time since the Super Bowl’s inception, the game will be played in a cold-weather city. The weather hasn’t been much of a concern in years past, but it could be an issue on Feb. 2.

The contest between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks is set to be held at MetLife Stadium, an outdoor stadium in New Jersey. As a result, Super Bowl XLVIII could see the coldest weather in the history of the game.

The Super Bowl is usually held places like Florida, Southern California, or cities with a dome. In the last five Super Bowls that were played outdoors, all of the games featured high temperatures in the 60s. The lowest ever high temperature recorded came in 2000, when an ice storm in Atlanta prevented the temperature from surpassing 35 degrees. That game, though, was played inside a dome.

The current AccuWeather forecast is predicting a high of 32 degrees with a low of 22. That’s colder than the historical average on Feb. 2, which usually sees a high of 40 degrees and a low of 24 degrees. With the game just less than two weeks away, though, it’s hard to predict what the weather will actually be like. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he hasn’t even looked at the forecast.

“One is, I’m not sure how reliable forecasts are this far out,” Goodell told the New York Daily News. “And two is, we have a whole group of people that are getting the best information, have the right team together, to make sure we have appropriate information at the right time. There’s nothing I can do about that. Our team has been working to be prepared for all alternatives and I’m confident they will be.”

The biggest fear for those attending the game might be the chance of precipitation. Twelve days before the games, the New York/New Jersey area has been hit with a snowstorm, and there are concerns that the same could happen on the day of the Super Bowl.

The current forecast calls for clear skies during the game. However, the weather report says it could rain or snow before kickoff.

The issue of the weather made the decision to play the Super Bowl in New Jersey a very controversial one. Talks surrounding a possible Super Bowl at the home stadium of the New York Giants and New York Jets began almost a decade ago, and eventually the owners agreed to have the game played in a cold-weather city.

"A little bit of snow during the game will make it all that much more historical, all that much more romantic, all that much more competitive and fun, I think — all that much more visual," said Frank Supovitz, the NFL’s senior vice president of events, according to nj.com

"There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of snow during Super Bowl XLVIII.”