Super Bowl heatwave - you can thank climate change

Temperatures could climb to the 90s in the vicinity of the Super Bowl stadium

Super Bowl 56 is a hot ticket in more ways than one.

Record hot temperatures were forecast through the weekend in California with a rare wintertime heat advisory in effect for southern parts of the state.

As the game kicked off at 3.30pm (PST) at SoFi Stadium in the city of Inglewood, south of Los Angeles, the temperature fell back from the day’s high, almost setting a record as the hottest Super Bowl ever.

When the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals took to the field the temperature stood at 82F (28C) having cooled slightly from a high of 85F a few hours before.

The hottest it has ever been for a Super Bowl was back in 1973 when the Miami Dolphins faced off against the Washington Commanders. The temperature during the game, which was also played in LA, hit 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

A persistent ridge of high pressure remains parked over the Golden State, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported on Friday, sending temperatures soaring above seasonal norms.

On Saturday, temperatures in the 70s and 80s stood to break a number of daily highs in locations up and down the West Coast, from San Diego to Medford, Oregon.

The hottest temperatures were expected over parts of Southern California, where the Super Bowl is taking place. Highs reached into the low 90s. High temperatures around LA at this point in the winter are usually in the mid-60s.

The heat advisory remains in effect around the greater LA metro area until 6pm on Sunday. The NWS warns that hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur, and advised residents to drink plenty of fluids and stay out of the sun.

Inside the SoFi stadium, players and spectators will likely be shielded from the brunt of the heat as the arena is temperature controlled.

The hot and dry conditions, along with seasonal Santa Ana winds in southern California, aided the spread of a wildfire in the early hours of Thursday in Laguna Beach.

The fire, which has torched 145 acres, is now 20 per cent contained, Cal Fire reported. Evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes late on Thursday.

“We no longer have a fire season – we have a fire year,” Orange County fire authority Chief Brian Fennessy told a press conference.

“It’s February 10. It’s supposed to be the middle of winter. We’re anticipating 80 to 90F weather. Even though the hillsides are green, it doesn’t take but low humidity and wind to cause fires to occur.”

2021 was the fifth-hottest year on record globally as emissions of greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane, the main drivers of the climate crisis from burning fossil fuels, continue to rise.

In California, the picture was no different. Last summer was the state’s hottest ever recorded, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Average temperatures have risen around 1C in the past century in the state. At the same time, California’s rainfall has become less frequent in autumn and spring, while winter storms are increasingly volatile.

California is historically prone to long periods of drought, but these will increase with global heating and less reliable rainfall.