Steelers fans will need to huddle close for warmth

The weather in today’s forecast for the Pittsburgh region promises to hit fans headed to the Steelers’ playoff game this afternoon like James Harrison goes after an opposing quarterback. Hard and persistent. Today’s high will be 15 degrees after a low of 9 degrees overnight, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. That will combine with sustained winds of 10 to 15 mph.

Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist with the weather service, said the temperature at kickoff for the 1:05 p.m. game against the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field, should be around 15 degrees and is only “nudging up a couple degrees by the end of the game.”

But that doesn’t tell the entire story.

When taking the wind chill into account, Mr. Modzelewski said, the temperature around game time could be “hovering around 0.” That will be a warm up from this morning when the temperature will dip as low as minus-5 degrees when factoring in the wind chill.

“Make sure you’re bundled up with gloves and hats,” Mr. Modzelewski suggested to fans going to the game. “Anytime you get longterm exposure to these kinds of temperatures and wind it can cause things like frostbite and hypothermia.”

While temperatures will be bitter, the region should get a break from snow. Mr. Modzelewski said that a couple of scattered flurries are possible, but no accumulation is expected today.

The forecast is not much different from the weather expected for

the Packers-Giants playoff game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., where some of the NFL’s most notorious cold weather games have been played. It will be around 11 degrees in Green Bay when that game kicks off at 4:40 p.m., according to the weather service.

As for Pittsburgh, the frigid cold will last into early this week, but the weather service says a warmup is on the way.

Warmer air will reach the area by Tuesday afternoon and elevate the temperature into the low 40s. It will reach the mid-40s by Wednesday, and by Thursday it could climb into the 50s.