Yahoo Finance Possible wet weather could affect Chiefs vs. Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55
If you’re headed to Raymond James Stadium to watch Super Bowl 55 on Sunday, you might want to bring an umbrella with you.
As of Tuesday morning, both the Weather Channel and AccuWeather are forecasting a 70 percent chance of rain during the morning and afternoon on Super Bowl Sunday. For the evening, the Weather Channel is predicting a 50 percent chance of showers, while AccuWeather is at under 20 percent. The National Weather Service only lists a rain prediction for Sunday during the day, which is at 30 percent.
Those percentages vary widely, but taken together they’re far from cataclysmic. Right now, at least, it doesn’t look like we’re in for a replay of Super Bowl 41, which was played in Miami in an absolute downpour. (Though that did result in one of the all-time greatest halftime shows, which ended with Prince performing “Purple Rain” in the rain.)
Rain like that would affect play on the field, but it may also impact the 30,000 cardboard cutouts the NFL is placing in the seats of Raymond James Stadium. The game is going to look weird enough on TV with reduced fan attendance and cutouts of fans, but that will look positively normal if those cutouts start to bend and disintegrate in the rain. That’s an image no one wants.
Weather stifling ticket market?
With five days left before the Super Bowl, the forecast is hardly set in stone. There’s still time for things to change. The forecast could get better, but AccuWeather warned that it could also get worse.
AccuWeather meteorologists will be monitoring a storm system that will be making a cross-country trek this week, which may end up bringing rain to the Tampa area at the end of the week or during the early part of the weekend.
A greater chance for soaking rain may emerge later in the weekend as a new storm develops in the Gulf of Mexico and sweeps northeastward across the Sunshine State.
All these weather predictions may also be impacting the ticket market. Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported on Monday that prices for tickets on the secondary market have failed to meet expectations despite only 14,500 being available for purchase. The rain in the forecast could be one reason why prices are lower than expected, and if those storms end up passing over Tampa on Sunday, it’ll have an even greater impact.
Florida weather can turn on a dime, though. Whether there’s rain or sun in Sunday’s forecast, it’s probably smart to bring an umbrella or an attractive plastic poncho with you.
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