NFL Draft Weather Forecast: Could Rain Dampen Pittsburgh This Weekend?

The 2026 NFL Draft is in Pittsburgh, and while we aren't forecasting a major storm, the weather could be a nuisance for at least part of the festivities.

This annual event, where players who have finished their college careers are selected by NFL teams, began on Thursday and will last through Saturday. The NFL is expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors for the draft, as well as various festivities around Acrisure Field and the city of Pittsburgh.

Round 1 may have finished on Thursday, but the bulk of the rounds are expected through Saturday. Below is the forecast:

The Forecast

- Saturday afternoon (rounds 4-7): Rain showers are possible in the morning hours before tapering off in the early afternoon. The passing cold front, however, will keep temperatures much cooler than Friday with the high expected to only make it into the 60s.

Can Weather Affect The Draft?

• The NFL Draft will go on rain or shine. The draft theater, including the platform where the players will walk on stage, has a large overhang that will keep fans with access to the theater dry.
• However, most fans attending the festivities around the draft — called the NFL Draft Experience — won't have protective cover if it rains.
• The NFL and the city do have a plan in case of severe weather.
• According to the NFL, "Only in the case of extreme weather that threatens public safety will the event potentially be postponed."
• Any announcement of postponement due to weather would be pushed out to attending fans via the NFL OnePass app and also announced over the on-site public address system.

Past Draft Rain

• Since 2015, the NFL has moved the draft to different cities around the country, with festivities outdoors.
• The weather has been mostly cooperative, with a few small exceptions.
• Last year, a thunderstorm on the Wednesday before the draft in Green Bay briefly delayed some pre-draft events and interviews in the morning. Then, some chilly light rain fell over Day 2 of the draft.
• In 2021, over an inch and a half of rain soaked Cleveland on the first day of the draft.
• In 2019, showers moved into downtown Nashville during the first round Thursday evening.
• In 2016, light rain and high temperatures only near 50 degrees were a nuisance for outdoor festivities at Grant Park in Chicago.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.