Frigid temperatures, gusty winds set the stage for Steelers-Dolphins matchup
There will be two opponents on the field Monday night at Acrisure Stadium. But the fans in the stands will have a battle too — against the wind and cold.
The temperature at kickoff for “Monday Night Football” is going to feel something like three field goals — 9 degrees, said Mike Kennedy, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon.
The Black and Gold faithful heading into Acrisure on the North Shore likely will be wearing plenty of layers, wool socks and heated jackets when the Steelers kick off against the Miami Dolphins at 8:15 p.m.
Kennedy said aside from the possibility of a few flurries during tailgating, it will be dry. The forecasted high temperature will be 21 degrees, or three touchdowns and extra points, with winds gusting between 15 to 20 mph.
“All tailgating, all game, it’s going to be cold,” Kennedy said. “It’s just going to be blistering.”
Meteorologist Jill Szwed, with TribLive’s news partner WTAE, is advising fans to layer up. “Wind chills are going to be in the single digits for game time,” she said.
Extreme cold temperatures can cause hypothermia and frostbite and puts extra strain on the heart. According to the state Department of Health, heat can leave the body quickly during lower than normal temperatures and high wind speeds, resulting in the possibility of health issues.
A National Weather Service chart shows it would take less than two hours until frostbite sets in on exposed skin given the temperature and wind speed expected at the Steelers game.
“You have to dress for the occasion,” Kennedy said.
The cold weather might be akin to an extra player on the field for the Steelers. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has a record of 1-7 as a starter when the temperature at game time is 46 degrees or colder, reported The Palm Beach Post.
“It’s football, bro,” Tagovailoa told reporters Thursday, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “It is what it is. We got to play them in Pittsburgh, whether it’s negative-20, whether it’s 20 degrees. We got to play football.”
Practice up north ???? pic.twitter.com/thIsPNy1Vk
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 14, 2025
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts, Greensburg, Hempfield and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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