Record-Breaking Super Bowl Could Be the Hottest Ever

Winter heat wave arrives in Southern California in time for the big game
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 9, 2022 5:14 PM CST
Already a Hot Ticket, Super Bowl Could Set Temperature Record
With temperatures in the 80s, a shirtless cyclist rides past a woman shading herself with an umbrella along Hicks Canyon Trail in Irvine, Calif., south of Los Angeles, on Tuesday.   (Mark Rightmire /The Orange County Register via AP)

This year's Super Bowl is on its way to setting records before a point is scored. Tickets are the most expensive in history, per CBS Sports; parking passes are going for more than $5,000, per KTLA; and more people are betting more money on the game than on any Super Bowl in NFL history. And with Southern California dealing with a heat wave, the game also appears likely to be the hottest Super Bowl on record, the Los Angeles Times reports. "Temperatures could reach the mid- to high 80s at kickoff on Sunday," says climatologist Bill Patzert. "Anything above 84 degrees would top the previous record."

That's not usual, even for Southern California. Forecasters expect temperatures to 15 to 20 degrees above averages through Sunday, nearing 90 in some spots. The area is dry, too, after weeks without rain, so the danger of fires is up. A heat advisory is in effect through Sunday evening, per NBC News. The warnings have been issued partly in consideration of "the influx of visitors not expecting 92 in LA," said meteorologist Alex Tardy. Locals haven't dealt with a February this hot since 2016, for that matter.

In addition to making sure they have enough liquids when they go to Inglewood, people will have to dress for summer. Except that temperatures will nosedive into the mid-50s at night, so they'll also need to bring clothes to handle that. For those from other parts of the country, Tardy said, "It might be a shock." SoFi Stadium has a roof but isn't air-conditioned. It won't be the humidity, though—forecasts call for low levels of humidity Sunday afternoon, per the Washington Post. (More Super Bowl stories.)

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