Winter Classic Weather

(posted on commodityweather.com)
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The NHL’s Winter Classic will be played on New Year’s Day at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, featuring a showdown between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  This annual classic has become a fan favorite with the hockey crowd (author included), jogging up memories of pond hockey from dawn till dusk.

Part of the challenge associated with making the once-a-year event successful is, of course, the weather conditions associated with not only the game itself, but also the week prior to the event when the outdoor rink construction takes place.  As this article highlights, Heinz Field has a Steelers football game on December 23rd, so the rink construction crew has a pretty tight schedule to follow to get the ice in game-ready condition by January 1st.  In the week leading up to the game, the weathertrends360 outlook is expecting favorable temperatures, but a couple of days with a winter mix could present a challenge.
Gameday conditions look pretty good for players and fans, particularly if the precipitation can hold off until late afternoon – the puck drops at 1:00 pm eastern time.

 

For more on the Winter Classic as well as other outdoor NHL games, see this post.