It's football weather in Buffalo.
The Bills are bracing for a severe lake-effect snowstorm to affect their Sunday Night Football game against the 49ers at Highmark Stadium.
The latest forecast calls for 20 to 30 inches of snow to fall Saturday afternoon through Sunday. Winds of 6 to 14 mph are expected Sunday night, with kickoff scheduled for 8:20 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a snow warning for the area until 7 p.m. ET Monday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has already declared a state of disaster emergency to mobilize resources to the region.
“This should be a concern for people who are trying to go to a football game,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. “We don't expect the game to be postponed or anything like that. The game will go on. Now, we've had games that were colder than that. You just have to dress appropriately. So people should prepare. This is the first real cold weather we've had this season. We haven't had anything like this all year.
As in the past, the Bills asked fans to sign up to shovel snow at the stadium if needed.
Fans will be paid $20 an hour, which includes food and hot drinks.
“We're just trying to keep up,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Friday. “You all know that things can change quickly around here depending on the weather on the lake and everything else. So please do what we can.”
The Bills enter this game in first place in the AFC East with 9 wins and 2 losses, while the 49ers have struggled and are tied for last in the NFC West with 5 wins and 6 losses.
Bills players were looking forward to playing in the snow.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins said, “Even if it's snowing or raining, it's cool and football is fun. And I'm a snowman, and a snowman loves snow,'' referring to his nickname. spoke. “I'm wearing a white coat today. It's supposed to snow, so I'm summoning snow to have a little more fun. There's already been a lot of snow.”
