Where Storms Could Impact Baseball’s Opening Day

You might already be singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” for MLB’s Opening Day, but rainy weather is only a concern for one game Thursday.

The good news for many baseball fans is that Thursday’s forecast is dry for most of the home openers happening across the country, but there are a few potential weather headaches.

(MORE: Is Opening Day Too Early?)

Washington Nationals At Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EDT)

The only game with at least some risk of a weather delay will be at Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs will host the Washington Nationals.

Showers and thunderstorms could develop over Chicagoland this afternoon. The best chance appears to be later in the game, so at least a brief delay is possible if those pop up over the north side.

A more certain weather headache will be a cold wind. High temperatures near the lake could happen early in the day, followed by a stiff, cold northeast wind off Lake Michigan, which could send temperatures crashing into the 40s by late in the afternoon. Bring a hoodie or jacket, along with rain gear, if headed to Wrigley Field today.

(HOURLY FORECAST: Wrigley Field)

Southsiders driving to Milwaukee for the White Sox - Brewers opener don't have to worry about the weather, except for any pregame tailgate. Milwaukee's American Family Field has a retractable roof in case of any rain or chilly winds off the lake.

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Tampa Bay Rays At St. Louis Cardinals (4:15 p.m. EDT)

Fortunately, we expect any thunderstorms that may sprout up over eastern Missouri to do so late tonight or overnight.

But there's a different weather concern for today's opener in St. Louis: summer-like heat in late March.

It could be the hottest March day on record, there. And with a mid-afternoon first pitch, that could be occurring during the hottest part of the day.

Highs in the low 90s are expected. That's over 30 degrees above average. So, if you're headed to this one, treat it like a late July or early August game. Drink plenty of water and take occasional breaks out of the sun.

(HOURLY FORECAST: St. Louis)

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While St. Louis is the only potential record breaker on the list of opening day games, it’s not the only potential scorcher. Temperatures will be in the 80s in Cincinnati, where the Reds host the Boston Red Sox.

Fortunately, we don't see any other significant weather impacts for the East Coast day games (New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore), as any rain should hold off until tonight. Weather shouldn't be an issue elsewhere in the country.

Sara Tonks is a content meteorologist with weather.com and has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences along with a master’s degree from Unity Environmental University in Marine Science.