New England Patriots
“Rain is looking increasingly likely tomorrow, especially in the afternoon.”
The 2026 Patriots home opener is expected to be a damp one.
The National Weather Service forecasts rain during Sunday’s Patriots-Steelers Week 2 matchup in Foxborough.
“Rain is looking increasingly likely tomorrow, especially in the afternoon,” NWS Boston shared on X on Saturday.
At Gillette Stadium, the NWS anticipates the rain beginning around 10 a.m., meaning tailgating festivities could be a bit wet.
The 1 p.m. kickoff has an over 50 percent chance of rain, but Sunday isn’t expected to be a complete washout. The NWS is forecasting less than a half-inch of rain total Sunday, with the conditions lasting into the overnight hours.
Here’s the NWS detailed forecast for the daytime Sunday in Foxborough:
“Showers, mainly after 1pm. High near 62. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.”
The service’s hourly weather forecast graph shows nearly a 100 percent chance of rain between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., which is when the majority of the contest would be played. There’s over a 50 percent chance of rain predicted at kickoff.
Fortunately, the NWS doesn’t foresee thunder making an appearance.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about his plans to prepare his team for potentially its first weather game of the season.
“We try to do the wet ball, quarterback-center exchange during quarterback indy (individual drills),” he told reporters on Friday. “Certainly, something that we’re conscious of, have done and will continue to do.”
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