Colder temperatures, wind expected for Chiefs Playoff game Saturday
Jan 17, 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Don't be fooled by Friday's warmer weather, as temperatures won't be as cold as last year's sub-zero frigid Chiefs Wildcard game against the Miami Dolphins during a cold spell when some Kansas Citians ended up with amputated fingers and toes.
However, they will be much colder than Friday.
Images from that January 13, 2024 game at Arrowhead are forever frozen in Chiefs fan's minds from the coldest game in franchise history. Katie Hays braved the cold for the Wildcard game last year with a temperature of negative four at kickoff.
"I saw multiple people coming back with beer after beer and surprised it was frozen by the time they got back to their seats every time," Hays recalled.
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The University of Kansas Hospital had 73 encounters and treated 36 patients in the emergency room and 17 in its burn unit for frostbite or frostnip last January. It's unclear how many of those attended the game. The Kansas City Fire Department transported ten fans from the game exhibiting signs of hypothermia and three with frostbite.
"They start getting tingling loss of sensation. Skin starts to change colors starts to gray out kind of go blue things like that our paramedics start to look for," Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins said.
Hopkins hopes fans realize conditions Saturday with temperatures in the lower 20s or upper teens and wind chills in the single digits could still put them in danger. Fans are encouraged to use any of the stadium's nine warming stations once inside and dress appropriately. Fans were already camped outside of Arrowhead's gates awaiting kickoff Friday night.
"You definitely want to dress in layers make sure you are layering up, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, overcoat. Make sure you have all your exposed skin covered up with hats scarves things of that nature."
Friday at the Rally House on the Plaza fans were buying scarves, hats and hoodies with Chiefs logos among other cold weather gear.
"Hopefully I've got the gear to keep warm. I've got my heavy boots, got my base layer, I've got some warming things for my mittens. Hopefully, I'll be alright."
"I think the advice is you can't put too many clothes on. I had like five pairs of pants on, three Under Armours, a hoodie, coat and I think my saving grace was covering my face," Hays said.
You can also bring in blankets, wear power-heated apparel and bring in cardboard to stand on to help keep your feet a little bit warmer.