Seahawks vs. 49ers weather update: Still wet, maybe thunder storms
Rain continues across the Bay Area on Saturday ahead of the Seahawks-49ers Wild Card game in Santa Clara
With the NFC Wild Card game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks now just hours away, rain continues to fall across the Bay Area of California.
Friday, officials warned fans if they were planning to drive to the game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara … maybe don’t.
Across the Bay Area, heavy rain has fallen due to the atmospheric river over Calfifornia, causing flooding and damaging mudslides. Evacuation orders are in effect for certain areas.
About a half inch to 1.5 inches of rain are expected around the area on Saturday.
Specific to Santa Clara, that figure may be a little less. The National Weather Service map shows 0.5-1 inch expected for the area near the stadium.
Main front is rapidly moving through the Bay Area this morning. Steady morning rain will turn to afternoon/evening showers with isolated t-storms possible. Image shows forecast rainfall amounts from 4am Saturday to 4am Sunday. pic.twitter.com/xQWguT4wrb
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) January 14, 2023
That said, rain may not be the only issue.
NBC Bay Area’s forecast noted there’s a chance of thunderstorms during the game as well.
49ers officials plan to keep the turf covered until near kickoff to keep it in the best condition possible, the station notes. New turf was just installed at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 15.
Wind will threaten both teams’ passing game as well.
Although the wind advisory — noting gusts up to 50 mph are possible — expires at noon, gusts of 30 mph could still occur, per the Accuweather forecast.
Long story short, it’s going to be a mess.
With the 49ers’ running game led by Christian McCaffrey (who just earned offensive player of the month honors for December/January) and a solid line, the 49ers are expected to have a stronger advantage with the weather.
But it remains to be seen how rookie QB Brock Purdy will maintain his poise if conditions get too bad. It will be up to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan to put him in the best position to succeed, as he’s done before.
Seahawks vs. 49ers Wild Card Game weather for Saturday at Levi’s Stadium
- Rain likely, somewhere in the quarter to half inch range during the afternoon
- Strong wind possible, with gusts up to 30 mph
- Thunderstorms not out of the question during the game
- Temperature in the upper 50s expected