How cold is too cold for outdoor Super Bowl events?

Those who flock to downtown Indianapolis will likely need to dress warmly if they want to enjoy the outdoor concerts and other events planned for the Super Bowl Village along Georgia Street. With wind chills plunging into the single digits on Friday, Fox59 wanted to know what conditions might prompt the outdoor events to close down.

If you're wondering how cold is too cold to be enjoying more than just a walk on Georgia Street, it depends on who you ask.

"For Super Bowl? It'd be below zero," said James Wide of Indianapolis. "I'm Midwest. I can deal with it."

"I would say today woyld be it," said Yolanda Wide of Indianapolis. "This is too cold for me."

Though there isn't one simple answer, the host committee said weather could force the outdoor Super Bowl Village to temporarily shut down.

"If we get very low temperatures or very heavy snow and it's not safe for folks to travel, we certainly wouldn't proceed with our events," said Mel Raines, Vice President of Event Operations for the Super Bowl Committee.
 
But how cold is too cold? The Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security plans to alert the public and meet with the host committee if the National Weather Service issues any advisories. According to the NWS, a wind chill advisory is typically issued if wind chills are between -15 degrees and -24 degrees. They issue a warning if the wind chill drops to -25 degrees or below.

"You know, once you get to a warning we should have already been, you know, clearing the area out," said Homeland Security Chief Gary Coons. "We're going to be proactive versus reactive."
 
If the events on Georgia Street are canceled, the committee will redirect fans inside several locations including a massive lounge called The Huddle, located in the old Nordstrom department store.
 
"You can go in, warm up, it's got quite a bit of space so that will be an option right on Georgia Street," Raines said.
 
The committee said public safety will be the top priority if temps dip too low, especially since some fans said they'd be up for anything if their team is taking part.

"People from Baltimore, we're going to be here. We're going to be here tailgating, partying," said Ravens Fan Tony Young. "Below zero, we're going to be here."