Detroit Lions weather forecast for NFC title game in California vs. San Francisco 49ers
There will be plenty of Detroit Lions fans rubbing their eyes in disbelief on Sunday.
Not just because the Lions will be playing in their second-ever NFC championship game and the first in three decades, but also because there will be glimpses of the sun during the game.
While Michigan residents can usually only dream about what sunlight and warmth looks like in January, the Lions will be playing in some of it when they take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday out west.
The projected weather forecast for Santa Clara, California, where the 49ers' home building of Levi's Stadium is located, is partly cloudy with a high of 70 degrees and a low of 49 on Sunday, according to AccuWeather. There is a projected cloud cover is 70%, which means there could be some rays, and there is a 25% chance of precipitation. Wind is expected to be minimal, with gusts of 2 mph.
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Sun's out, fun's out?
The Lions game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. in Detroit, which will be 3:30 p.m. local time on the West Coast. The game should be in the second half when the sun sets over the west side of the stadium, with sunset slated at 5:28 Pacific Standard Time.
As you probably know already, however, this forecast could change over the course of the week, given the fickleness of Mother Nature.
Even though the Lions will be leaving behind the grey skies and ice-covered roads fighting against tons of salt, they haven't had to deal with the elements much down the stretch of the season, thanks to playing mostly within the confines of the Domed Ford Field. The Lions have played six straight games in domes — four at Ford Field plus trips to Dallas and Minnesota's roofed confines — dating back to the second week of December, holding a 5-1 record in those games.
This season in the elements
The last time the Lions played outside was a 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on Dec. 10. Thankfully for Detroit, Santa Clara should be a far cry from the snowy, windy environment of Soldier Field that led to one of the worst offensive performances of the season for the Lions.
However, Santa Clara isn't always pretty, as shown Saturday night. The 49ers took down the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in the divisional round while playing through consistent rain showers that lasted the entire game. The rain led to a number of slips, flubbed throws, a crucial Packers missed field goal in the fourth quarter, and a mass changing of cleats by San Francisco players.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Weather forecast for Detroit Lions' NFC title at San Francisco 49ers
