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Philadelphia Marathon temperature may make a run at a race-time record on a wintry Sunday morning

It almost certainly will be the chilliest race-time start in 14 years. But it will be dry, and, hey, it's not Buffalo!

Runners just past mile marker 25 on Kelly Drive during the Philadelphia Marathon in Philly last November, when it wasn't as chilly as it will be Sunday.
Runners just past mile marker 25 on Kelly Drive during the Philadelphia Marathon in Philly last November, when it wasn't as chilly as it will be Sunday.Read moreMONICA HERNDON / Staff Photographer

If some of the thousands of runners participating in this year’s Philadelphia Marathon weekend come down with cases of cold feet, that’s understandable.

The region hasn’t experienced weather this chilly since March, and the race-time temperature for Sunday’s 26.2-mile adventure event might make a run at the lowest since the marathon become an official city event in 1994.

Winds also could become a factor Sunday, with steady 10-to-15 mph breezes from the west during the race, possibly gusting past 25 mph, with wind chills in the teens, the National Weather Service says. The runners at times will be experiencing significant head- and tail-winds, since they will be blowing more or less from the Schuylkill toward the Delaware River.

» READ MORE: What you need to know about the Philly marathon weekend

It almost certainly will be dry: The precipitation probability tops out at 1%. And at least it’s not snowbound Buffalo.

The weather service was calling for a 7 a.m. Sunday temperature of 2y degrees in Center City. That would match the lowest race-time official reading, 27 degrees, which occurred in 2008, back when the marathon and half-marathon were run on the same day.

Since 2016, the 13.1-mile race has been held on marathon eve, and this year it will also be a toe-chiller, with forecast temperatures similar to Sunday’s, although with negligible winds.

Planners are “adding extra heating/warming tents” at the starting area, said marathon spokesperson Jennifer Sherlock. Otherwise, they’re advising spectators to dress warmly.

» READ MORE: COVID had a chilling effect on Philly runners, but they're back at it

For the Philly Runners club’s Seth Weiss, who will be participating in Saturday’s half-marathon, a morning chill beats the heat. But upper 20s?

“It’s definitely on the cold side even for me,” he said. “I’d like it about 10 degrees warmer.”

Temperatures both Saturday and Sunday might not get above freezing during the races.

For those who plan to hang around after the races, readings will struggle to crack 40 during the day Saturday. “It looks like it will be a brisk day,” said Dean Iovino, a lead meteorologist in the Mount Holly weather service office. “Winds are really going to pick up late morning into afternoon.” He said gusts might exceed 30 mph.

And on Sunday, windchills are forecast to be in the 20s, with temperatures no higher than the mid-30s.

For an encore, Monday is expected to be the coldest morning yet, with lows in the mid-20s. Temperatures are due to moderate Tuesday and Wednesday, with excellent travel conditions and afternoon highs of 50 degrees or better.

» READ MORE: Forecasters see a mild winter for Philly

Another cooldown is due Thursday, and the government’s Climate Prediction Center has the odds favoring below-normal temperatures through Dec. 1.

If you’re looking for snow, you would fare way better in the Buffalo area, where the lake-effect flakes are expected to continue into Saturday night, with some places getting up to four feet before the siege ends.