Why you may be glad you didn't score Super Bowl tickets
Temperatures in ever-heating California predicted to set new game day record
(A native of England, Matthew Diebel is a veteran journalist who has worked at NBC News, Time, USA Today and News Corp., among other organizations. Having spent his childhood next to one of the world's fastest bodies of water, he is particularly interested in tidal energy.)
Hey, Snoop Dogg, have you thought about what you’ll be wearing during your segment in the Super Bowl LVI half time show this Sunday? And the same applies to you, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
Why? Because the annual February football fest is forecast to be hotter than heck, with temperatures at the SoFi Stadium just outside Los Angeles predicted to be about 85°F. at kickoff time and then rising after that to nearly 90°F. That would make it the hottest championship ever played. Adding to the probable sweat fest, even if the stadium’s retractable roof were closed, the AC is very limited, according to The Washington Post.
“Visitors from cold weather states not acclimated to the heat may be at a higher risk for heat related illnesses,” warned the National Weather Service (NWS) in Los Angeles. “Avoid strenuous outdoor activities [and] drink plenty of water.”
Just to underscore the extreme heat, a small brushfire struck Laguna Beach Thursday morning, forcing mandatory evacuations — in February — as more than 145 acres burned in just a few hours.
OK, so the Los Angeles Rams are on home territory, but with the weather forecast they have an even bigger advantage over the Cincinnati Bengals and their fans. The forecast for their part of Ohio on Sunday: below freezing with a low of 15°F.
The sizzling conditions are yet another reminder of how California has heated up in recent decades as global warming has extended its grip on the state. Of Los Angeles’s 10 hottest days during the first half of February, all have occurred since 1970 and seven of 10 since 1995, according to the NWS. And average winter temperatures there have increased 2°F since 1948, a trend replicated across all seasons in Southern California.
In addition, drought now affects 99% of the Golden State, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with Los Angeles International Airport receiving just 0.09 inches of rain last month, tied for its sixth-driest January on record.
As the title of a 2011 Snoop Dogg hit says: “Sweat.”