Wind, showers forecast for Super Bowl XLI
MIAMI -- The Super Bowl may be wetter -- and windier -- than players and fans might like.
Brisk winds of 10 mph to 20 mph and a temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s are forecast for Sunday along with scattered showers throughout the day.
"It's going to make it feel cooler than it will actually turn out to be," Dan Dixon, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said Saturday.
The weather will certainly be a lot more accommodating than in Indianapolis or Chicago, where hometown fans of the Colts and Bears are bracing for subzero wind chills.
The field at Dolphin Stadium can easily withstand a shower; a drainage system under the turf can process up to three inches of rain per hour.
"The last game, we played in snow, sleet, rain. That's Chicago Bears weather," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. Rain won't bother his team, he said.
Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said his team packed longer cleats and rain gear, just in case.
"We take pride in being able to go on the road," Dungy said. "Whatever the weather is, I don't think it will really be a major factor."
Starting to rain pretty good now 😮
Total bettors sneak under number in first rainy SB
Associated Press
Sun, Feb 4, 2007
MIAMI -- For the first time, the Super Bowl was all wet.
Steady rain fell Sunday on the Super Bowl, a dubious first for the NFL`s title game between the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts. It chased some ticketholders away at halftime, forced many to watch the game in concourses on television and generally made things miserable for those who spent big money on seats.
Bettors, warm and dry at home, were not immune to the weather`s effects.
Sportsbooks downplayed the weather reports Saturday night but were finally forced to react. After insisting there would be no impact, books dropped the total from 48 to 47 on Sunday.
Even the spread was changed. With rain and a slow field playing to the Bears` strengths as a power-rushing offense, the Colts moved from touchdown favorites to - 6 1/2.
The on-field play seemed to suffer: The teams combined for eight turnovers, five by the Bears, who wound up losing to Peyton Manning and the Colts, 29-17. Under bettors cashed in with the score falling one point below the total.
``It`s miserable,`` said Pablo Santos, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service`s Miami office.
Officially, less than a half-inch of rain fell on Dolphin Stadium throughout the day. Yet the persistent drizzle, combined with northeast winds that gusted to 21 mph, made the Super Bowl soggy and sloppy.
Virtually everyone on both sidelines wore raincoats or jackets. Players sometimes slipped on the turf. Uniforms were soaked through by halftime and there were large pockets of empty seats - a most unusual occurrence at a Super Bowl, where face value seats cost at least $600 apiece.
``Not worth it,`` Scott Braley of Indianapolis said as he and his son, Scott Jr., 4, left at halftime. ``My kid is already coughing and sneezing. Of all the places for rain, would you think Miami?``
Actually, yes.
Florida has a reputation for having dry winters. Still, it isn`t unusual to have February rain in years, like this one, where El Nino is a weather factor, Santos said. When a cold front moved through the area, then hit low-level warm moist air from the Caribbean, the rain was inevitable, he said.
``Even during the dry season we get rain,`` Santos said.
Jordan Gardner, 20, paid more than $5,000 for two seats in Section 416, near midfield along the Indianapolis sideline in the top deck of Dolphin Stadium. He and companion Katie Lee of New Canaan, Conn. skipped the halftime show with Prince - who won a Grammy for ``Purple Rain,`` which he performed in what seemed like a fitting touch.
``There`s no cover up there,`` said Gardner, a student at DePaul in Chicago.
Lee suggested they buy two ponchos for $5 apiece before the game, and when rain began falling at a steadier clip, many ticketholders did the same. Concessionaires said that the makeshift jackets were sold out by halftime, and at least one stadium custodial worker was offered $10 for a new garbage bag.
``It`s not fun,`` said Lee, a student at the University of Connecticut. ``It`s worse for the girls. You don`t need to look pretty, I guess, at the Super Bowl.``