Rare heat advisory issued ahead of Super Bowl LVI

A wintertime heat advisory was issued in California for the first time in 16 years ahead of what could be a record high temperature at the time Super Bowl 56 kicks off at 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.

At around game time on Sunday, the temperature could feel like close to 90 degrees at SoFi Stadium. The players and fans inside the stadium likely won't feel the full force of the heat outside as SoFi Stadium, billed as an indoor-outdoor arena, is able to maintain a controlled temperature inside the venue.

The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued a heat advisory for the second half of the week along the Los Angeles coast and coastal valleys. Despite the fact that the calendar reads early February, the region is expected to record temperatures ranging from 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit from Wednesday through Sunday. High temperatures in Los Angeles in early February typically are in the mid-60s.

"This is the first heat-related product (watch, warning, or advisory) we have issued in February going back to at least 2006," National Weather Service forecaster Ryan Kittell told AccuWeather via email.

On Monday, the NWS issued an excessive heat watch for the same areas. This was the first excessive heat watch issued in California between the months of November and March, according to data from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, a branch of Iowa State University that archives weather data. However, it was later replaced by the advisory and extended into Sunday.

A look at the heat advisory issued Tuesday for Wednesday through Sunday. Image courtesy of AccuWeather

Kittell also noted that all NWS offices in the West changed the thresholds for issuing heat-related products in 2017, "resulting in far more issuances for southern California in the past."

The record high temperature for Feb. 13 in downtown Los Angeles is 90 F, which was set in 1985. Los Angeles has hit the 90-degree mark more than a dozen times during February, most recently on Feb. 16, 2016. The all-time high temperature for February is 95 F, which was set on Feb. 20, 1995.

While warmer weather isn't uncharacteristic of Southern California, the fact that temperatures are expected to be 15 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of the year prompted the warning, the NWS explained.

"Many people may not be acclimated to this kind of heat right now, and heat stress and dehydration may impact people more quickly," the NWS Los Angeles office explained in a tweet.

This year, the Los Angeles Rams will face the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where AccuWeather is forecasting a high temperature of 83 degrees around kickoff time. While SoFi Stadium is described as being an indoor-outdoor stadium with a canopy over the field, the sides remain open.

With a few exceptions, the Super Bowl has usually been played in locations with mild temperatures in February. The colder Super Bowls have often taken place in domed stadiums.

The record high temperature outside during Super Bowl days is 82 degrees, which was recorded both in 1973 and 2003 at the nearest respective NWS weather station. The Super Bowl of 1973 was also in Los Angeles and the 2003 game in San Diego.

This will be the 13th Super Bowl played in California and the eighth to be played in Los Angeles. The city has hosted the third-highest number of Super Bowls behind Miami and New Orleans.

With few exceptions, the Super Bowl has usually been played in locations with mild temperatures in February, but the colder games have often taken place in domed stadiums.

Super Bowl LII, when the Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the New England Patriots at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, was the coldest game on record. While the stadium had a dome and the temperature indoors was at 70 degrees at kickoff, the temperature had dropped to only 2 degrees outdoors. The low of that day was 6 degrees below zero.

Super Bowl XL in 2006 had the most snowfall for any Super Bowl Day after 1.1 inches of snow fell over the Ford Field in Detroit on Feb. 5.