An outdoor skating rink may not be a common occurrence in North Carolina, but by the end of next week tens of thousands of fans – plus a few dozen talented National Hockey League players – will be gathered at NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium to witness such a spectacle.
This year marks 20 years since the NHL played its first outdoor game in the regular season. Over the past two decades, games have been played in the cold of Edmonton and Minneapolis, snow in Boston and Buffalo, and even not-so-cold weather in Southern localities like Dallas and Nashville.
Now, it’s Raleigh’s turn as hometown Carolina Hurricanes prepare to host their fellow Washington Capitals on Saturday, February 18 as part of the tournament. NHL . Stadium Series. Unlike their usual matches inside the PNC Arena, this game has a wildcard element – well, elements!
Climate Competition Day
February 18 falls at an interesting time in the climate calendar, when our weather is sometimes still winter-like but can easily herald spring.
according to Climate standard 1991 to 2020, the average high temperature on February 18 in Raleigh was 56.5°F, with an average low of 34.7°F. With the puck drop time set at 8pm, that usually means game-time temperatures in the mid-40s.
But in recent years, our weather was not average on that day. Last year, our temperature rose to 71°F on February 18, while two years ago we only peaked at 40°F. Our record high that day was 78°F in 2011, while it never warmed above 19°F in 1979.
We’ve had February 18 rainfall in each of the past five years, including 0.78 inches in 2021 and 32 out of 78 historically. But for fans hoping for the outdoor ice to be decorated with some fresh snow, don’t get your hopes up.
Measurable snow has fallen in Raleigh on February 18 only five times since 1945. Most recently, 0.4 inches have fallen on the ground in 2015. Before that, it also snowed on that day in 1972 (0.5”), 1977 (1.5”), 1979 (10.3”), and 1989 (5.8”).
Ready for all weather
From warm to cold and sunny to snowy, the National Hockey League has to be ready for anything during their outdoor games, so the ice is set up to withstand (almost) any conditions.
That starts with it construction, which isn’t as simple – or as spectacular – as flooding a stadium and waiting for it to freeze. Since football fields like the one at Carter-Finley have tops that are slightly slanted or sloped off-center for drainage, teams will first cover the pitch with a tarp, then build a plywood stage to raise the pitch. slide up about 6 inches. ground.
Next is the built-in cold system consists of aluminum plates and tubes that can circulate 3,000 gallons of coolant to transfer heat away from the ice.
That ice is then layered using 20,000 gallons of water. That’s enough to create a 200-foot x 85-foot rink with 2 inches of ice: nearly twice the standard inch and a half thickness used indoors for added protection against the weather.
All that infrastructure, including a portable chiller that keeps the coolant flowing, helps keep the ice in good shape whether it’s cold — like the 6°C head-to-head temperature in Minnesota last year — or warm. pressure, with games being played in air temperatures up to 65°F in Denver in 2016.
The only weather that can interfere with an outdoor game is heavy rain. Puddles and standing water on ice can be dangerous to both skaters and the ice itself, melt it from the top down.
Despite our recent rain patterns and our sometimes spring-like February climate, we can be assured of the NHL’s performance, with no outdoor games canceled since its inception. established in 2003.
Outlook soon
While exact matchday forecasts won’t come into play until a few days ahead of time, early outlooks are unequivocally pointing to warmer conditions for next weekend.
Climate Prediction Center Outlook 8 to 14 days as of February 7, there is a 60 to 70% chance of above-normal temperatures between Wednesday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 21.
That would match our recent weather, on the heels of our state 8th-warmest January well documented, and also in line with recent trends. While La Niña winter like this, every day for the past 11 february has been warmer than usual. And on February 18 of the year for the past six years, our highest afternoon temperature in Raleigh reached 60°F or warmer.
And what can we say about the game itself? Recent history suggests that this should be a close competition, as the Storm and the Capital have split four times to meet head-to-head since the start of the 2021-22 season. In their first game of the season, Carolina won 3-2 on Halloween night.
In that game, all the stars of each team scored a goal, with Alex Ovechkin scoring for the Capitals and Andrei Svechnikov scoring for Carolina late in the second half. In the penalty shootout, Svechnikov once again miraculously touched the ball to put the Hurricanes ahead. Both teams will be looking for similar performances from their top players to break the ice – we hope not literally! — at Carter-Finley.
Carolina and Washington have played in the same division for 23 of the past 24 seasons, including a dramatic seven-game playoff series in 2019 that the ‘Canes won in double overtime. So it can be said that these two teams are very familiar with each other.
But they’ve never played a game quite like the one of the Stadium Series, which took place on January 18. In a part of the country where outdoor ice often means a nasty freezing rain event. , this term snow storm will take on a new meaning when the Storm and the Capital take shape next Saturday.
