There are three words that can send a literal and metaphorical shiver down the spine of any folks who have lived in Western New York at any point in their life, as I did from the time I was born until I was eighteen. Those three words are Lake Effect Snow, and that's exactly what is in the forecast for this Sunday's Wild Card round game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Heavy lake effect snow is possible in the affected areas, with 1 to 3 feet of snow expected throughout the Buffalo region and 8 to 17 inches of snow possible in some areas south of Buffalo according to the Weather Service,” according to Victoria E. Freile of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. In addition to the heavy snowfall, wind gusts up to 65 miles per hour are expected to start on Saturday and extend into Sunday. Freile went on to write that New York Governor Kathy Hochul has indicated that she will be issuing a state of emergency for western New York on Friday.

As is the case whenever a storm like this pops up on the forecast during football season, the NFL will now be monitoring the weather conditions ahead of Sunday's game.

This won't be the only game taking place during Super Wild Card Weekend that will be played in inclement weather. Record low temperatures are expected in Kansas City, when the Chiefs host the Miami Dolphins, which must make the Dolphins Week 18 loss at home to Buffalo that much tougher to swallow. Had the Dolphins won, it would've been Miami hosting Buffalo yet again in the Wild Card Round, with Pittsburgh heading to Kansas City.

Let me just end with this… if you're expecting that a blizzard in the forecast is going to stop Bills Mafia from coming out in droves to break tables and circle the wagons on Sunday afternoon, you're sorely mistaken.