INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Bengals and Rams fans won't need hoodies for the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. High temperatures will peak in the low-mid 80s with plentiful sunshine in Southern Carolina, setting up for one of the hottest Super Bowls on record.
Los Angeles and Cincinnati will meet at the indoor-outdoor stadium in Inglewood with a kickoff time of 3:30 p.m. PST (local time), which is 6:30 p.m. EST for the Carolinas. The current forecast temperature is 82° at kickoff.
There is also a Heat Advisory in effect from Los Angeles all the way to the Mexico border now through Sunday at 6 p.m. local time. This heat has been consistent across California all week, and is above average for this time of year.
The hottest Super Bowl Sunday ever also took place in California. On Jan. 14, 1973, the temperature at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was 84° at kickoff.
Super Bowl VII is potentially more memorable as the game that crowned the Miami Dolphins Super Bowl Champions, as well as the only NFL team ever to have a perfect season! The game ended with a final score of Miami 14, Washington 7.
Ironically, the coldest Super Bowl was the year before when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Dolphins 24-3. Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana was a chilly 39° at kickoff for Super Bowl VI.
The second-warmest Super Bowl was played in San Diego, California in 2003 with a kickoff temperature of 81°. After that, Super Bowls played in 1987, 1989, 1995, and 2016 are tied for third with a temperature of 76°. All of these games were either played in California or Florida... so there's surely a trend.
Regardless of how things play out, Super Bowl LVI is expected to at least break the top 3. The forecast for Sunday's game is 82° at kickoff, 79° at halftime, and 74° by the time players and fans are heading home. No jackets needed!
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.