National Weather Service issues Winter Storm Watch ahead of Steelers-Bills Wild Card matchup

The National Weather Service has officially issued a Winter Storm Watch for the greater Buffalo, NY area in effect from the afternoon of Saturday, January 13 through Monday, January 15.

The severe weather notice comes just days out from the Pittsburgh Steelers Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills, which is set to play Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium. That comes in junction with a High Wind Watch and Lakeshore Flood Watch also affecting the area, though both of those adversaries are set to expire by Saturday evening.

Noted in the memos:

Travel could be very difficult to impossible during the weekend. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Strongest winds will occur Saturday which could cause tree damage and power outages.

Localized travel problems will be possible.

Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

There were some speculating that the game could be relocated to the Cleveland Browns stadium if the weather was bad enough in New York, though the Steelers have noted that they have not been made aware of any such plans, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN reported Thursday afternoon.

As it stands now, AccuWeather notes that they’re expected to see 1-2 feet of snow in the area between Saturday and Monday, projecting a high of 24°F and a “RealFeel” temperature of -1°F. Most significant, perhaps, is the wind, currently projected for sustained winds of 29 mph and gusts up to 44 mph, which could significantly hinder either team’s ability to throw the ball, projecting for a very run-heavy game script on both sides.