NFL weather history
The Coldest NFL Games Ever, and What Freezing Weather Really Does
The coldest NFL game ever was the 1967 Ice Bowl in Green Bay, played at -13°F. The worst wind chill came in the 1982 Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati: -9°F with a wind chill of -59°F. Below we list the coldest games in history and since 2006, then use twenty seasons of game data to show what freezing weather actually does to scoring, quarterbacks and kickers.
The short answer
Ice Bowl, 1967: -13°F at Lambeau Field.
Freezer Bowl, 1982: -59°F wind chill in Cincinnati.
Flat from freezing to 85°F. Only games under 20°F drop, by about 5 points.
Never. The NFL has no minimum temperature.
The coldest NFL games in history
The five coldest games on record are all playoff games, played in January or on the last day of the year.
| Game | Temp | Wind chill | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
Ice Bowl — NFL Championship: Cowboys at Packers Dec 31, 1967 · Lambeau Field, Green Bay | -13°F | -48°F* | Packers 21, Cowboys 17 |
Freezer Bowl — AFC Championship: Chargers at Bengals Jan 10, 1982 · Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati | -9°F | -59°F* | Bengals 27, Chargers 7 |
NFC Wild Card: Seahawks at Vikings Jan 10, 2016 · TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis | -6°F | -25°F | Seahawks 10, Vikings 9 |
AFC Wild Card: Dolphins at Chiefs Jan 13, 2024 · Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City | -4°F | -27°F | Chiefs 26, Dolphins 7 |
NFC Championship: Giants at Packers Jan 20, 2008 · Lambeau Field, Green Bay | -1°F | -23°F | Giants 23, Packers 20 (OT) |
* Wind chills for 1967 and 1982 use the older National Weather Service formula, which ran much colder than the one used since 2001.
The coldest NFL games since 2006
From our own database of every outdoor regular-season game since 2006, using the hourly temperature at kickoff from the ERA5 weather record. These can differ by a degree or two from the reading taken inside the stadium.
| # | Game | Temp | Wind | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears Dec 22, 2008 · Soldier Field | 2.4°F | 8 mph | 17–20 |
| 2 | Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears Dec 14, 2025 · Soldier Field | 5.9°F | 9 mph | 3–31 |
| 3 | New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns Dec 24, 2022 · Huntington Bank Field | 6.0°F | 27 mph | 17–10 |
| 4 | Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers Jan 2, 2022 · Lambeau Field | 6.0°F | 7 mph | 10–37 |
| 5 | Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears Dec 18, 2016 · Soldier Field | 7.3°F | 11 mph | 30–27 |
| 6 | Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs Dec 18, 2016 · Arrowhead Stadium | 7.8°F | 3 mph | 19–17 |
| 7 | Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals Dec 14, 2025 · Paycor Stadium | 8.3°F | 8 mph | 24–0 |
| 8 | Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers Dec 24, 2022 · Acrisure Stadium | 8.9°F | 10 mph | 10–13 |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers Dec 23, 2017 · Lambeau Field | 8.9°F | 7 mph | 16–0 |
| 10 | New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills Dec 22, 2024 · Highmark Stadium | 9.7°F | 2 mph | 21–24 |
| 11 | Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings Nov 30, 2014 · Huntington Bank Stadium | 10.2°F | 12 mph | 13–31 |
| 12 | Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos Dec 3, 2006 · Invesco Field | 11.0°F | 5 mph | 23–20 |
| 13 | Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears Dec 24, 2022 · Soldier Field | 11.3°F | 22 mph | 35–13 |
| 14 | Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers Dec 7, 2008 · Lambeau Field | 11.6°F | 3 mph | 24–21 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers Dec 19, 2022 · Lambeau Field | 11.8°F | 4 mph | 12–24 |
Our database covers regular-season games only, so the 2016 and 2024 playoff games above are not in this table.
Does cold weather lower NFL scoring?
Less than you would think. We sorted 2,695 dry outdoor games from 2006–2025 by kickoff temperature and compared each band with mild 60–70°F games. Freezing, cold and chilly games all land within about a point and a half of the baseline, which is no more than normal game-to-game noise.
| Kickoff temp | Games | Points | vs mild | Avg wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20°F | 40 | 39.5 | -5.2 | 10.0 mph |
| 20–32°F | 132 | 45.1 | 0.0 | 8.8 mph |
| 32–40°F | 272 | 44.2 | -0.9 | 7.7 mph |
| 40–50°F | 413 | 43.8 | -1.1 | 7.8 mph |
| 50–60°F | 544 | 44.9 | -0.2 | 7.3 mph |
| 60–70°F (baseline) | 585 | 45.0 | – | 7.4 mph |
Only the games under 20°F show a clear drop: 39.5 points against 45.0 (t = -2.14, 40 games — just at our minimum sample, so treat the exact size with care). Those games were also windier, averaging 10.0 mph against 7.4 mph, and wind is the weather that clearly cuts scoring. Full method on the temperature and scoring study.
How cold affects quarterbacks
Passing is where cold shows up. We compared 4,555 outdoor starts by 107 quarterbacks with each passer's own average for that season, so better quarterbacks and changes in the league over time don't skew the result.
| Kickoff temp | Starts | Pass yards vs own avg | Completion % vs own avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20°F | 64 | -21.7 | -2.9 |
| 20–32°F | 214 | -9.5 | -2.2 |
| 32–45°F | 749 | -8.2 | -1.1 |
| 45–60°F | 1322 | +0.2 | -0.2 |
Below 20°F, quarterbacks threw 22 fewer yards than usual (t = -2.60) and completed 2.9 points fewer passes. A cold ball is harder to grip and, because air pressure inside it drops as it cools, a little softer. Teams make up for it by running more, which is why total points barely move. Full QB cold study.
Field goals below freezing
Across 657 field goal tries below freezing, kickers made 85.8%, which is 1.9 points below what kicks of the same length usually convert at (t = -1.47). That gap is small enough that it could be chance. Wind is what really moves kicking — see the field goal accuracy study.
Can an NFL game be cancelled for cold?
No. The NFL has no minimum temperature, and no game has been called off for cold alone. Teams use heated benches, sideline heaters and blowers instead. Games are only moved when weather makes it unsafe to reach or stay in the stadium, such as a blizzard, or stopped for lightning — see our NFL weather delays guide.
Check this week's games
See kickoff temperature and wind for every open-air stadium on the NFL weather page.
Sources
- Pro Football Reference (scores and game-day weather for historic games)
- Copernicus ERA5 (hourly kickoff temperature and wind, 2006 onward)
- National Weather Service — wind chill chart
- NFL Football Operations — official rules
OverUnderWeather Research Desk
Independent data analysis on public sports and weather records. Studies match historical game outcomes to archived game-window weather, apply pre-set sample and significance rules, and publish null results when that is what the data show. Editorial policy and corrections log.
Frequently asked
What was the coldest NFL game ever?
By temperature, the 1967 NFL Championship Game (the Ice Bowl) in Green Bay, played at -13°F. By wind chill, the January 1982 AFC Championship Game (the Freezer Bowl) in Cincinnati: -9°F with a wind chill of -59°F under the formula used at the time.
Can an NFL game be cancelled because it is too cold?
No. The NFL rulebook has no minimum temperature. Games are only moved or postponed when weather makes it unsafe to get to or be in the stadium, such as a blizzard or a severe storm, not because of cold alone.
Does cold weather lower scoring in the NFL?
Much less than most people think. In twenty seasons of dry outdoor games, scoring is roughly flat from freezing to 85°F. Only games below 20°F show a clear drop, of about five points, and those games were also windier than usual.
Do quarterbacks play worse in the cold?
Yes, measurably. Compared with their own average for the same season, starting quarterbacks below 20°F threw about 22 fewer yards and completed about 3 percentage points fewer passes.
Are field goals harder in the cold?
Slightly. Below freezing, kicks went in about 2 percentage points less often than kicks of the same length usually do, but that gap is small enough that it could be chance. Wind matters far more for kickers than cold.
What is the coldest NFL game since 2006?
In our database of outdoor games since 2006, the coldest regular-season kickoff was Packers at Bears on 22 December 2008 at Soldier Field, about 2°F. In the playoffs, the coldest were Seahawks at Vikings in January 2016 (-6°F) and Dolphins at Chiefs in January 2024 (-4°F).