LOS ANGELES - The stadium that closed out the 2021 football season hosting Super Bowl LVI will once again be in the spotlight Thursday as both blazing heat and the first regular NFL season game get underway.
The Los Angeles Rams will host the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in temperatures that are expected to reach the 90s but cool down before kickoff.
Meteorologists say a ridge of high pressure centered over the West is responsible for the excessive heat, which has triggered heat alerts for more than 50 million residents.
Similar to the record hit during the Super Bowl, the region is in the grasp of an ongoing heat wave that has pushed many communities above the century mark.
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The outdoor temperatures could resemble those on the field as the $5 billion does not have air conditioning.
Engineers said the specially designed roof and walls are situated in a manner to allow the 3.1 million square feet facility to naturally cool through breezes off the ocean.
The openings in the stadium are designed to pull in ocean breezes through their aerodynamic shape and supposedly can tune wind flow.
The stadium is located just over four miles away from the Pacific Ocean, where water temperatures are in the lower 70s.
Winds off the cooler Pacific can act as a natural air conditioner when temperatures along and nearby the coast are warmer than the water temperatures.
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The operators of SoFi Stadium have not publicly stated if extra amenities or precautions will be taken for the 70,000 fans that could fill the streets and the seats.
Thursday's game will mark the 14th time that the Bills and the Rams will meet. Buffalo leads the series 8-5.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET (5:20 PT) Thursday.