NFL Bans Umbrellas at Super Bowl

The National Football League is gambling heavily that Mother Nature will not rain on Super Bowl Sunday.

The league has banned the use of umbrellas in Stanford Stadium and will have guards posted at every gate to make sure the offending rain gear is not brought in.

An NFL spokeswoman said fans will be asked to leave if they open up an umbrella during the game. Because of the relatively gradual slope of the stadium seats, the league is concerned that large numbers of umbrellas would obscure the view of the field for many spectators.

However, the National Weather Service predicts there is a 1-in-3 chance that it will rain Jan. 20.

On Jan. 20, 1982, it rained throughout the day. In 1983, there were only high clouds, but in 1984, there was fog and light rain throughout the afternoon.

“There is generally a 1-in-3 chance of rain in January,” a weather service forecaster said. “We generally get 10 days of rain in the month. As for this year, it’s a coin-toss.”