The weather should not be a factor for Lions at Bills on Thursday Night Football. Game day forecasts for Orchard Park call for a mostly cloudy, muggy evening with kickoff temperatures in the upper 60s to near 70, winds under 5 mph, and only a slight chance of light rain. The National Weather Service in Buffalo expects less than a tenth of an inch of precipitation through the night, so a passing sprinkle is the worst case.
Forecast at a Glance
| Window | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Tailgating (afternoon) | Mostly cloudy, mid 70s, humid |
| Kickoff (8:15 p.m. ET) | Mostly cloudy, upper 60s to near 70, light wind |
| Fourth quarter (~11 p.m. ET) | Partly cloudy, mid 60s, calm |
| Rain chance | Slight, light sprinkles at most |
Source: National Weather Service Buffalo and local forecasts as of Thursday morning, Sept. 17. The new stadium is open air, though a canopy covers roughly 64 percent of the seats.
What It Means for the Game
Highmark Stadium in September is not the wind tunnel it becomes in December, and this is about as clean a night as Orchard Park offers. Light wind and mild temperatures favor both passing games and do nothing to push the total, which sits at 54.5 to 55, back toward the under. The one wrinkle is a damp, humid night on brand new natural grass, so footing is worth watching for a Lions offensive line already missing two starters.
This is also the first regular season game in the new Highmark Stadium, so there is no history yet on how the building plays in wind. That will matter more in November than it does Thursday.
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The Bottom Line
Mild, muggy and calm: upper 60s to near 70 at kickoff, light wind, and only a slight chance of light rain. Weather is a non factor for Lions at Bills.