Welp we thought it was chilly last week. Mother Nature is lol saying joke's on you, mitten state! A cold front moving across the state, along with lake effect, will bring in some snow and very cold air for Saturday. It'll be breezy, too. We'll have a little light snow on the ground to start the day, then a break before we see more fall later on, so this is a game to wear the warm boots and give yourself a little extra time on the roads! Layer up, grab the hat, gloves, wool socks, and two packs of those little hand warmers to cheer on our guys against Illinois! Let's go blue!! 

  

Tailgating

If you'll be up and out there early you'll catch a little bit of sun through the clouds. We may see some lake effect bands make it across the state overnight - if so, we'll have a light coating of snow on the ground and you'll want to slow it down getting to the tailgate site! Like we've seen the last couple of mornings, with those cold temps it doesn't take much to make roads slick. Definitely bundle up as our morning temperatures will only be in the teens. Winds will already be up in the morning as well. Steady SW winds will be around 15mph, gusting into the mid 20s (small branches sway, loose papers will blow around) so it's going to feel more like the single digits! Tie down the tent and set up your portable heater, and get your crockpot comfort foods lined up! At least you don't have to worry about your cooler ice melting? We'll find a silver lining to this weather :) We're into the lower 20s by mid morning as skies turn cloudy. Winds will increase slightly so it'll still feel like the single digits to around 10 degrees. Crack open some of those pocket warmers if you'll be outside tailgating, then open your 2nd set before leaving your site! Tailgating inside? Put your second set in your boots for the game.          

Kickoff

With it being Senior Day it's not a bad day to head through the gates a little early to see the seniors recognized during the pre-game. A-10's from the 127th Fighter Wing from Selfridge Air National Guard Base will also be doing a flyover! Doesn't matter how many times you see/hear it, flyovers are always neat :) The weather is not so neat - 25 as we get this game going but it won't feel anywhere near that. SW winds will be steady near 20mph with gusts to around 30mph (smaller trees sway, empty garbage cans may tip over with some of those gusts). Skies will be cloudy and although it's a lesser chance, we could see some snow. 

Halftime

Big hot chocolates all around! Brrr it's cold! Like, * really * cold. COLD AF. This is one of those games you don't mind waiting in line for the bathroom and you take a little longer to wash your hands just so you can try to thaw out a little! We'll be in the mid 20s with a steady SW wind near 20mph, gusting to the lower 30s, making it feel closer to 10 degrees to the teens. If you can catch the halftime show, the Michigan and Illinois bands are performing together, playing some movie scores. We'll stay cloudy for the second half with the chance of seeing some snowflakes fly. 

Post-Game

Are you cold? Nah, you're fired up because we just won our last home game this season!! It'll be more likely that we run into some snow into the evening so keep that in mind if you're heading out to grab dinner! We could pick up 1/2-1" by midnight before the snow starts to wind down - not a lot, but just enough to take visibility down and make those roads a bit dicey. And depending on if we see some lake effect, we could add on a little more to that. We'll finish the game in the mid 20s with wind chills in the teens. Temps will start to drop back toward 20 by the late-night. Winds will shift to the W during the evening, dropping to around 15mph with gusts in the 20s, and remain there overnight. This will put wind chills in the single digits from around 10pm through last call! Definitely not the night to leave your coat somewhere, especially as Sunday will be frigid, too. Stay safe and warm out there! Let's go blue!!

 

CHRISTINA BURKHART IS THE MORNING METEOROLOGIST FOR ABC IN FLINT, MI. SHE GREW UP IN ANN ARBOR AND ASSOCIATES SATURDAYS WITH MICHIGAN FOOTBALL. GO BLUE!!