Light snow possible for the Panthers-Seahawks game

There’s a chance – just a chance – that Charlotte could see snow falling from the sky for the first time this winter on Sunday, the same day its NFL team is to open the playoffs.

“I’m thinking right now we have about a 20 percent chance,” says Scott Krentz, a meterologist for the National Weather Service. “It’s a pretty low chance, and with not a lot of accumulation either, the way it looks; I’d say less than a tenth of an inch or so, maybe a couple tenths. Or maybe just flurries. Or nothing. But definitely something to keep an eye on.”

As the day wears on, Krentz says, the temperatures should reach up into the mid-40s with a chance of some light rain. The average high temperature in Charlotte for Jan. 17, according to the NWS, is 50 degrees.

“Dress warm, definitely bring a poncho, expect blustery conditions and a wintry-type feel,” Krentz says.

But don’t expect anything like the Seattle Seahawks faced last Sunday at its NFC wild card playoff game in Minneapolis: The temperate at kickoff at TFC Bank Stadium was -6 degrees with a wind chill of -25. It was the third-coldest playoff game in NFL history.

This Sunday’s divisional-round game between the Panthers and the Seahawks kicks off at 1:05 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. For those not braving the weather, the game will be televised on FOX.

Théoden Janes

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Light snow possible for the Panthers-Seahawks game."