Bills vs. 49ers weather report: A foot of snow possible for Week 13 clash

Snow is set to play a role in the Buffalo Bills' Week 13 clash with the San Francisco 49ers.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Break out the shovels, Bills Mafia.

Meteorologists are anticipating upwards of a foot of snow to fall atop Orchard Park prior to the Buffalo Bills’ primetime Week 13 bout with the San Francisco 49ers, with additional showers possible during the game itself. WIVB’s Mike Doyle shared his updated forecast to Twitter on Friday morning, indicating that snow is set to play a significant role in at least the leadup to this week’s Sunday Night Football clash.

As is always the case with lake effect snow events, where the band ultimately sets up remains to be seen. It’s impossible to definitively pinpoint when the band will arrive in Orchard Park and for how long it will remain over the area; 12-to-18 inches of snow prior to kickoff is a safe ballpark estimate, but the pregame total may end up being significantly greater (or inferior, but it’s always safer to expect and prepare for the worst).

This lake effect event, which is Western New York’s first significant snow incident of the season, has already commenced, with the band currently set up over the Southern Tier. It’s supposed to move further into Erie County and Buffalo’s southern suburbs on Saturday, where it’s forecasted to remain throughout the weekend. It’s, again, impossible to accurately predict how much snow will ultimately fall over a particular area, but it’s safe to say that this week’s game (and travel to and from it) will be impacted by the weather.

Related: 49ers vs. Bills: Top 5 storylines to watch in NFL Week 13

The Bills have seen their fair share of games impacted by weather over the past few years, with their 2017 near-blizzard clash against the Indianapolis Colts creating quite a memorable scene. Storms have more substantially altered games in the immediate past, with a 2022 clash against the Cleveland Browns being moved to Detroit before Buffalo’s 2023 AFC Wild Card round matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers was delayed due to lake effect events. Head coach Sean McDermott spoke about the potential of a Week 13 snow game on Wednesday, telling reporters that his team will be ready from both strategic and practical standpoints.

“Yes, [snow is impactful] from a preparation standpoint,” McDermott said. “We’ve been through it before. We have some experience with it. We can’t control the weather, I think only He can control the weather. I know He can control the weather. I think it’s really just about how we respond to it. Our staff does a phenomenal job, the people that have shown up [to shovel out the stadium] for the years that I’ve been here, at minimum and beyond, my time here of shoveling the stadium out. I think that’ll happen again if need be. We’ll get ready to play a football game.”

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