Does Lake Michigan change conditions at Ryan Field?

Considerably. An onshore easterly can leave the stadium noticeably colder and damper than inland Chicago; an offshore wind does the reverse. We read the wind direction, not just the speed.

How cold do Northwestern home games get?

Late-season kickoffs are commonly in the 30s°F, colder with a lake wind. Wind chill is often the more meaningful figure.

Does Ryan Field have a roof?

No. It is fully open air and exposed to whatever comes off the lake at kickoff.

Ryan Field weather

Live weather and game-time forecast for Ryan Field, with a plain-English read on lake wind, cold and rain for every Northwestern home game.

Home team: Northwestern Wildcats

Big Ten

Roof: Open

Surface: Natural Grass

Capacity: 47,130

Field bearing: 0° N

BETA: Some college football stadium locations may be slightly off. We're continuously improving accuracy.

Game-time forecast at Ryan Field
Weather lean unlocks 3h before start

Colorado Buffaloes @ Northwestern Wildcats — kickoff Sat 6:30 pm venue time (in 6 days).

Game is more than 5 days out — forecast not available yet.

Lean pending: These are the kickoff readings. Weather lean unlocks 3h before start, once the forecast is settled enough to call.

Lead-time reliability still being measured for COLLEGE

This is the forecast for kickoff, not the weather right now. Current readings are below.

The next college football game at Ryan Field is Colorado Buffaloes at Northwestern Wildcats, Saturday 19 September at 6:30 pm venue time. Live conditions at the ground are briefly unavailable — the reading refreshes on its own.

Next match at Ryan Field: Wildcats v Buffaloes

Northwestern Wildcats host Colorado Buffaloes at Ryan Field on Saturday 19 September at 6:30 pm venue time.

Live stadium conditions

Live conditions are not available right now. They refresh automatically when the station responds.

Live readings are context only. The game-time read uses the forecast at kickoff.

Why Ryan Field plays differently

One mile from Lake Michigan; lake-effect crosswinds and abrupt temperature drops after sunset.

Game-time weather read

Colorado Buffaloes at Northwestern Wildcats · Sat 6:30 pm venue time

Lean unlocks 3 hours before kickoff

Nothing is published earlier than that. The forecast for kickoff at Ryan Field is not settled enough further out to be worth reading.

Stadium Map

Upcoming games at Ryan Field

Colorado Buffaloes at Northwestern WildcatsSat, 19 Sept, 6:30 pm venue time
Penn State Nittany Lions at Northwestern WildcatsFri, 2 Oct, 7:00 pm venue time
Ball State Cardinals at Northwestern WildcatsFri, 9 Oct, 11:00 pm venue time

Last games at Ryan Field: conditions vs total

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