Conditions will be chilly but playable at Progressive Field in Cleveland Tuesday. (Getty)
The 2016 Major League Baseball World Series gets underway tonight — Tuesday, October 25 — as the Chicago Cubs play games one and two in Cleveland, facing the Indians at Progressive Field. Neither Chicago nor Cleveland are exactly warm weather cities, and with the World Series being played late in October and even, if it goes to six or seven games, into November, weather could play as much of a role as the Indians’ bullpen.
So what’s the weather forecast for Cleveland Tuesday and Wednesday, when the first two games of the 112th World Series are scheduled?
Conditions in Cleveland have been ideal for baseball in recent days, with temperatures soaring into the 80s last week. But “Indian Summer” is coming to an end. According to Weather.com, the forecast for October 25 and 26 looks much more like Clevelanders would expect this time of year — chilly, but not too cold, “hovering in the upper 40s.”
In fact, even though Game One is scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m. local time — at least, the Fox TV broadcast is scheduled for that time — and will likely run to midnight or even beyond, with many postseason games this year topping four hours in length, temperatures are forecast to remain stable late into the Cleveland night on Tuesday.
The 47 degrees, and 42 degree “feel” forecast for midnight by Weather.com is only slightly lower than the gametime prediction of 49, with a feel of 45 degrees.
Game one of the #WorldSeries starts today in Cleveland, Ohio! Cloudy and chilly weather expected. #CubsvsIndians #Cubs #Indians
But while Tuesday’s game appears safe, Game Two on Wednesday could be in jeopardy, because Cleveland is predicted to get hit by an autumn rainstorm on October 26.
“Spotty showers will evolve into a steadier rain in Cleveland on Wednesday night as the first storm approaches,” the forecasting service AccuWeather predicts. “The timing of the steadier rain is a bit uncertain at this point. On one hand, drenching rain could break out well ahead of the storm Wednesday evening. On the other hand, the steadiest rain may hold off until late Wednesday night.”
In other words, even if the game is not postponed, there could be weather delays which would drive the end of the second Cubs vs. Indians World Series contest into the early morning hours.
While temperatures on Wednesday night in Cleveland should stay in the mid-to-high 40s into Thursday morning, Weather.com sees an 80 percent chance of drenching rain starting at 11 p.m. and 85 percent after midnight.
Major League Baseball has not yet announced plans in case weather prevents or shortens Game Two — but with a day off for travel between Cleveland and Chicago set for Thursday, Game Two would most likely be played on that day, October 27, instead.
Unfortunately, Weather.com sees a 70 percent chance of rain on Thursday as well, potentially throwing the World Series into chaos.
Here is a current weather map for the Cleveland area, off the shores of Lake Erie, from the National Weather Service.
The good news is, Cleveland temperatures on Thursday are predicted to reach into the high 50s, meaning that if it stays dry, the possible makeup game will be played in comfortable conditions.