DENVER — It’s looking increasingly likely that some light snow will fall during a bitterly cold AFC Championship game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots Sunday at Empower Field.

Denver7’s futurecast was showing a round of snow arriving around 3 p.m. Sunday, with light snow falling through the end of the game. The wind chill could be back in the single digits by the final whistle, according to an NWS wind chill forecast.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

NWS Boulder has been reporting increasing chances for another round of snow Sunday. In a Saturday evening update to its forecast discussion, it said snow would arrive mid-late afternoon with a half-inch to three inches falling over a three- to four-hour window. Another 3-5 inches was forecast to fall in the mountains.

Regardless of if and when snowfall arrives, it will be a cold one.

Wind chills could still be in the single digits when tailgaters start arriving Sunday morning. Denver7 meteorologist Stacey Donaldson was calling for a temperature of 18 degrees at kickoff, which is slated for 1 p.m. The wind chill will be around 14 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.

The wind chill dips back to below zero in Denver by midnight Monday.

Arctic air will persist through Monday, w/ lows in the single digits or below zero. Light snow is expected in the afternoon & evening, which could impact road conditions. If you have to be outside tomorrow, make sure to dress in layers & watch for the signs of hypothermia! #COwx pic.twitter.com/OmMR6UQLXr

— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) January 25, 2026

The chilly game time temps are nothing new for Denver in January, when the city’s average highs are in the mid-40s and normal lows dip below 20 degrees. But it’s a stark contrast to the 2025-26 NFL season to date. The Broncos have had kickoff temperatures above 60 degrees for every game this year in what has been an unusually warm and dry winter.

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