Thursday's Browns-Steelers game could be coldest ever in Cleveland for the series

[ATENEARS]

Thursday's Browns-Steelers game

could be coldest ever in Cleveland for the series

By Rich Exner, The Plain Dealer

December 09, 2009, 4:45PM

A Cleveland Browns fan is surrounded by ice and snow

near the end of the Browns-Bengals game on Dec. 21, 2008.

The low temperature for the day was 1 degree.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Thursday night's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns has the makings of being the coldest game ever in Cleveland for the rivalry.

The latest National Weather Service forecast calls for it to be 18 degrees with a 54 percent chance of snow at 8 p.m., just before kickoff.

By 11 p.m., the temperature is predicted to drop to 17 degrees, with a wind chill of 3 degrees below zero.

It has never been that cold for a Browns-Steelers game in Cleveland, National Weather Service records show.

The coldest date for a Browns-Steelers game was Dec. 18, 1983, when the low for the day was 14 degrees. However, that low was achieved at 4 a.m.

The 1983 game began at 1 p.m. The temperature ranged from 20 to 21 degrees during the game.

Here's some hope for Browns fans: Only four times has the low for the day of a Steelers game in Cleveland dropped below 25 degrees, and the Browns won each time:

•14 degrees, 12/18/83, Browns win, 30-17

•23 degrees, 12/12/54, Browns win, 42-7

•24 degrees, 11/10/57, Browns win, 24-0

•24 degrees, 11/20/55, Browns win, 41-14

Lowest Cleveland temperatures on game day

•Minus 7 degrees, 12/17/89, Browns 23, Minnesota 17

•Minus 5 degrees, 1/4/81, Raiders 14, Browns 12 (playoffs)

•Minus 2 degrees, 12/11/77, Oilers 19, Browns 15

•1 degree, 12/21/08, Bengals 14, Browns 0

Most Cleveland new snow on game day

•10 inches, 12/1/74, Browns 7, 49ers 0

•7.2 inches, 12/19/04, Chargers 21, Browns 0

•4.1 inches, 12/4/05, Jaguars 20, Browns 14

•4.1 inches, 10/31/54, Browns 24, Giants 14

Highest Cleveland temperatures on game day

•93 degrees, 9/15/91, Browns 14, Bengals 13

•93 degrees, 9/8/02, Chiefs 40, Browns 39

•92 degrees, 9/10/78, Browns 13, Bengals 10 (OT)

•90 degrees, 10/6/46, Browns 26, Dodgers 7

Note: The temperatures and snow amounts are for the day, not necessarily during the game.

[buster]

BROWNS 32

STEELERS 0

GO BROWNS

[Mr. T]

Minus 5 degrees, 1/4/81, Raiders 14, Browns 12 (playoffs)

I was there for that game, we put our car in the ditch early in the morning and on the way up to cleveland the passenger window blew out. We were allready frost bit before making it into the stadium. But the liquids kept us numb. so we didn't care.

[ballpeen]

Have a good time tonight, but to be honest, I am glad I made the switch to Sundays game and will watch this from the den. Been cold around here as well. I may even crank up the gas logs.

[The Gipper]

What about that game last year against the Bills? That was a hell of a snow storm. Or was that game in Buffalo? Browns won I believe 8-0.