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One often overlooked aspect of college football game day is the impact weather can have. No, we’re not just talking about how it impacts playing conditions, but also road conditions (this is Iowa, after all, there is bound to be snow in November) and perhaps most importantly, tailgating conditions.
Each week we’ll be updating you on the forecast for game day so you can plan your day accordingly.
It’s week one in college football and your Iowa Hawkeyes are opening up the season at home in Iowa City. It’s the latest start time for a season opener in Iowa history and that may prove valuable to the Hawkeye passing game.
The Forecast
Both weather.com and accuweather.com are calling for scattered rain in and around Iowa City most of the day on Saturday, but AccuWeather is calling for a higher chance earlier in the day. Each service shows a chance for rain both a kickoff and throughout, though weather.com has that chance lower at only 25%.
From a temperature standpoint, it’s going to be on the cooler side for August. Temperatures will be in the low 70s much of the day and dip into the 60s around game time. Cooler than average temps and some rain mean you may need to pack some layers.
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Traffic Conditions
Weather shouldn’t pose a substantial risk to road conditions on your drive to Iowa City tomorrow. Rain is expected to be in the form of scattered, intermittent showers. While that may lead to some slightly slower traffic, additional travel time needed should remain minimal.
If you’re planning on coming into town, here’s what you need to know about game day transportation, traffic patterns and parking. You should also check out our annual tailgater’s guide to Iowa City. And new this year, the U of I has partnered with Waze to get you live traffic information right on your mobile device while you’re making your trek.
Tailgate Conditions
If you’re planning to tailgate in Iowa City tomorrow, be sure to pack a poncho. Best case scenario, the sun breaks through and you don’t need it. Worst case, at least you’re less miserable than the guy soaking wet, cold and trying to decide if it’s worth sticking around for the blowout in the second half.
Rain may not be present all day, but there’s a pretty good chance you’ll get wet at some point tomorrow so be prepared. If your tailgate spot has a tent, great. If not, grab something to cover up with.
Game Time
Temps at game time should be just south of 70 degrees. That’s perfect for a nice fall football game day. If the rain thins out, it should be a great night for a season opener. If not, it may be a bit chilly.
A littler rain shouldn’t have much impact on the outcome in this one. Iowa is favored by 21.5 points and they should spend most of the game establishing and exploiting the run game. A bit of rain may actually help as they face off against a team with an inexperienced left side of their offensive line and three new quarterbacks being broken in.
Go Hawks!
UPDATE: As of Friday night, things are looking much better.
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Still never hurts to pack the old poncho. Better safe than sorry and if the mention of a poncho gets us this kind of improvement in a few hours, imagine what actually having them will mean for the game time weather.