Sun splashed the Chicago Bears’ practice field and temperatures were above 60 on Thursday, but the arrival of the New York Giants in 48 hours might look much different.
Wind gusts up to 33 miles per hour and the threat of the first lake effect snowstorm at Soldier Field on the banks of Lake Michigan are waiting for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and the Giants if current forecast models are accurate.
“It’s definitely not my first weather game. I’m from Utah,” said Dart, who attended USC but transferred before Bears quarterback Caleb Williams arrived as a transfer from Oklahoma. “If you know anything about Utah, I played in four seasons. I played in snow games in high school. That’s not something that is new to me. I played out at high school where the wind blew, it was right outside of a canyon. I dealt with that every single day as well.”
Accuweather downgraded the chance of snow to a chance for morning flurries pregame in Chicago. Other local forecasts are holding off on dismissing accumulating snow. A sharp temperature decline — with a ripe real-feel temperature of 28 degrees at kickoff — and the wind direction pulling air from Canada and Minnesota with sustained 18 mph winds out of the northwest could create another shift in the outlook.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll took note of the potential for iffy weather earlier in the week only to check back in and find something completely different.
“You look at the weather, that changes. It’s changed a number of times,” Daboll said. “So, if you think it’s going to be wet, raining, snowing, it’s changed a number of times. Last time I looked at it, it looked 36 degrees and sunny.”
