Getty Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates after a win over the Miami Dolphins.
The Buffalo Bills are leaving Western New York this coming weekend, but can’t escape the winter weather.
The Bills are traveling to Chicago for a Christmas Eve game against the Chicago Bears, and could be facing the same type of inclement weather that buried the city of Buffalo and forced their November 20 game to be moved to Detroit. Meteorologists have warned that the Windy City could be hit with a major blizzard, bringing heavy snowfall and dangerous winds just in time for kickoff on Saturday.
Chicago Braces for Christmas Storm
As William Lee of the Chicago Tribune reported, the city of Chicago could be in for one of the strongest storms in more than a decade. The National Weather Service’s Chicago office issued a warning on December 19 that the storm would be hitting later this week, bringing difficult conditions just ahead of the holiday weekend.
“Major storm system affecting the area Thursday through Saturday, with the most significant impacts from accumulating and blowing snow and very strong winds late Thursday afternoon into Friday night,” the service noted.
Chicago potentially shuts down on Friday due to a blizzard. It is going to be hard for anybody planning to go to the Bills game and for the Buffalo Bills themselves getting to Chicago Friday via air . @WGRZ @BuffaloBills
While there is not yet a strong prediction of how much snow the storm may dump on the area, meteorologist Kevin Birk told the Chicago Tribune that the wind will still create whiteout conditions and wind chills that could dip to -30 degrees Fahrenheit through the weekend.
“The main uncertainty lies in how much snow we’ll actually get in the area we’ll see. It’s looking likely that we’re going to see some pretty good impacts from the system, whether it’s a lot of snow and blizzard-like conditions, or just a little bit of snow with some near-blizzard conditions at time,” Birk said.
Bills Playing Through Rough Weather
The Bills have already been dealt their share of terrible weather this season. A snowstorm dumped more than seven feet of snow in Orchard Park in mid-November, forcing the NFL to move their game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit.
The team’s December 17 win over the Miami Dolphins was also marked by poor weather. Though initial predictions called for several inches of snow during game time, the storm hit overnight on Friday and hit a lull during the game, with the snowfall picking up during the fourth quarter. The Bills prevailed, winning 32-29 thanks to a field goal from Tyler Bass as time expired.
Ice in his veins! 🥶
The Bills have experienced both extremes, with temperatures on the field hitting triple digits for their September 25 loss to the Dolphins in Miami.
Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire noted that there is no immediate danger of the NFL moving this week’s game against the Bears, but it could create difficult travel conditions for the team and fans making a holiday trip to Chicago.
If this week’s winter storm does force the NFL to move the Bills game out of Chicago, there may be no clear solution as to where it could take place. While the Detroit Lions are on the road to face the Carolina Panthers, Ford Field may not be an option as Detroit is expecting to be hit by the same storm system.
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Bills Face Dire Warning About Saturday’s Game in Chicago