How To Best Prepare For Football Games In The Heat

This weekend's football matchups should be primarily played in good weather, but there are a few wild cards Mother Nature may have up her sleeve for a few college and NFL games.

NCAA Saturday

There are a pair of key games in Florida that could at least have some passing showers Saturday. Click each link for a detailed forecast.

- Texas at Florida (Gainesville; 2:30 p.m. ET): Best chance for showers and thunderstorms. Pack rain gear if you have tickets to the game.

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- Miami at Florida State (Tallahassee; 6:30 p.m. ET): Small chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm.

Otherwise, it will be downright hot by the first weekend of October standards in the Midwest and Northeast, with afternoon temperatures in the 80s, or even low 90s.

If the stadium allows, you may want to bring either a sealed bottle of water or reusable water bottle to stay hydrated if you have tickets to these games.

Among the games that will be particularly affected by this summerlike heat include:

- Wisconsin at Michigan (Ann Arbor; 11 a.m. ET)

- Illinois at Purdue (West Lafayette; 11 a.m. ET)

- Boise State at Notre Dame (2:30 p.m. ET)

- Kent State at Oklahoma (Norman; 3 p.m. ET)

NFL

Again, we don't expect any major weather issues for most of the NFL's Week 5 slate.

It could be a little breezy in London on Sunday, but Storm Amy will be gone by the time the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns kick off. So, there shouldn't be any "dancing stadium" issues as was the case in windy conditions at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022.

We can't completely rule out a stray shower in Charlotte, where the Carolina Panthers will host the Miami Dolphins. It could be worse. That game may have been more of a washout if it had been played in South Florida instead.

The Monday night game, though, may not be so lucky.

Thundershowers with heavy downpours are possible in Jacksonville Monday night, where the Jaguars host the Kansas City Chiefs. It probably won't rain the entire game, but bring rain gear if you're headed to EverBank Stadium for that interesting matchup.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.