The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Virginia Cavaliers may have a rainy encounter Saturday when they kick off a matchup of two Associated Press Top 20 teams.
The current Accuweather forecast is calling for a 51 percent chance of rain and possible thunderstorms during the 3 p.m. hour, while temperatures hover around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
The good news for those of us attending the game is that the weather is supposed to improve without significant impact on the temperature. By the time the game has ended — i.e. 7 p.m. unless there’s a weather delay or overtime — it’ll be in the mid-60s with the chance of rain diminishing to about 30 percent.
The temperature for tailgating is forecasted to be in the mid-60s, with the rain holding off until at least 11 a.m. Thunderstorms may threaten around that time, as well, so it may be time to catch a lecture or...go to confession?!
The Saturday high/low of 71 degrees and 58 degrees, respectively, is slightly hotter than normal for Notre Dame on Sept. 28. The record high for Sept. 28 of 89 degrees was set in 1908, five days before the Irish’s home opener against Hillsdale. The record low of 29 degrees was set in 1942, two days after the team returned from a 7-7 tie at Wisconsin. (They used to play at Camp Randall back in the 1940s. Harumph!)
The Irish last played on Sept. 28 at home in 2013, when they lost 35-21 to the Oklahoma Sooners. That game kicked off at 3:42 p.m. when the temperature was 79 degrees and amidst a moderate breeze of 14 miles per hour.