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Photos: Snow cleared at Highmark Stadium as Bills host Steelers in NFL playoff game
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- Photos: Snow cleared at Highmark Stadium as Bills host Steelers in NFL playoff game
Aerial view of a snow-covered Highmark Stadium before a 2024 AFC wild card game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills on Jan 15, 2024.
Gavin Weigand shovels snow from the lower bowl inside Highmark Stadium.
The seating area inside Highmark Stadium is still full of snow. Shovelers were instructed to clear the steps and other walkways. Fans are responsible for the snow at their seats.
The Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers wild-card playoff game was postponed to Monday due to severe weather in Western New York.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul's official social media account posted that she had been in contact with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell "regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo. Workers removed snow from Highmark Stadium on Sunday.
By Monday at noon ET, the tarp had been taken off the field at Highmark Stadium and the artificial turf looked fine, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Workers removed snow Sunday from the field, but there was still considerable snow in the seats Monday afternoon.
A reporter from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle estimated 70% of the seats are encased in snow as of Monday at noon ET. Shown here is one of the workers who shoveled at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.
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Seats in the premium area were the priority, according to a report in the Democrat and Chronicle. Many of the regular sears still had snow covering them.
As of Monday afternoon, the sun was shining in Orchard Park and there was no snow falling. Sunday workers showed up to shovel Highmark Stadium so the rescheduled game could be played.
Orchard Park residents walked to the stadium Sunday to help pitch in with snow removal efforts.
The temperature for Monday late afternoon was expected to be 20 degrees, according to the Weather Channel.
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Workers remove snow from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. A potentially dangerous snowstorm that hit the Buffalo region on Saturday led the NFL to push back the Bills wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers from Sunday to Monday. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the NFL cited public safety concerns for the postponement, with up to 2 feet of snow projected to fall on the region over a 24- plus hour period.
Orchard Park received 18 inches of snow from 2 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Monday, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.
The Buffalo Bills offered to pay workers $20 per hour along with with complimentary food and breaks to shovel snow.
Shovelers take a break from clearing snow inside Highmark Stadium.
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Joe Painter of Rochester, shovels snow from the lower bowl inside Highmark Stadium. Shovelers were instructed to only clear the steps and the walkways leaving the seating area for fans to handle themselves. Painter is staying for the game and came down to his shovel out his seats.
A tractor clears snow from the field at Highmark Stadium before the playoff game against Pittsburgh.
An aerial view Monday afternoon of a snow-covered Highmark Stadium and surrounding Orchard Park, New York before the AFC wild-card game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.
A view from inside the concourse of Highmark Stadium on Monday afternoon before the AFC wild-card game between the Buffalo BIlls and Pittsburgh Steelers. Snow has been cleared from the field and piles of snow have been shoveled in the walkways and stands.
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Workers remain in high spirits Monday as they work to clear snow from the stands at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
Fans tailgate in the snow before the AFC wild-card game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers fans pose for a photo outside Highmark Stadium on Monday before the AFC wild-card game in Orchard Park, New York.
A fan sits in the snow at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York during the AFC wild-card game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills on Monday.
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Buffalo Bills fans sit in snow during the 2024 AFC wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
Fans packed Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on Monday to watch the Buffalo Bills play the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild-card playoff game.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) takes the field before Monday's AFC wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bills-Steelers NFL wild-card playoff game: Snow cleared from field
