The contest between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals is heating up, with kickoff just a few hours away. And just like the contest, the weather during the game will be hot.
According to NBCLA meteorologist Shanna Mendiola, the weather during Super Bowl LVI is going to feel much more like summer than mid-February.
"SoFi is located closer to the coastline, and that's why we've got cooler temperatures there" compared to the Inland Empire, she said. "So warm tomorrow for this time of year. We're looking at 82 at kickoff, halftime temperature 76, and by the end of the game, clear skies, and 70 degrees."
The record for warmest Super Bowl Sunday was set on Jan. 14, 1973, when the temperature was a sizzling 84 degrees at kickoff inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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Late Saturday night, NBCLA meteorologist David Biggar expected the high temperature in Inglewood to fall in the low 80s, "probably about 82 or 83 degrees."
That high temperature is "just about a degree or two shy of the record for the warmest Super Bowl, but very close," he said.
That's a sharp contrast with the temperature in Cincinnati, where the visiting Bengals are from. For Ohio fans watching in their home state, Sunday's high temperature is a brisk 25 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
With the weather heating things up in sunny Southern California, Mendiola said, it's important to stay hydrated.
"Make sure you're drinking lots of water and using that sunscreen," she said of the high Saturday temperatures.
There shouldn't be any notable winds or moisture to contend with during the game. But even so, fans and players inside SoFi Stadium get to experience one of the perks of the state-of-the-art venue.
The largest venue in the NFL has a roof with operable panels that can slide open and close to provide air movement and help regulate temperatures inside the structure.
But if you can't make it outside for the big game, you can always watch Super Bowl LVI on NBC, T52 and Peacock. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. PST.
