Wind, rain, thunder in forecast for Sunday’s Seahawks-Falcons game

RENTON – Defensive coordinator Kris Richard had some fun Thursday when asked if the weekend forecast led the Seahawks to practice outside in the rain, which would usually move the team to its indoor facility.

“It could have,” Richard said with a smile. “I just thought we were going out there to have a little bit of fun. It’s been awhile since we’ve had some rain around here. We got so used to the sunshine, and now it’s the real Pacific Northwest rolling in here. We have to go out there and show some appreciation to the rain.”

The Northwest is getting lots of that in addition to some exceedingly strong winds this weekend during what’s considered one of the most severe storms to hit the area in recent memory. The worst of it may pass by the time the Seahawks and Falcons kick off at 1:25 p.m. Sunday at CenturyLink Field, but as of Friday evening, the forecast for game time is nonetheless ugly: 17-mph winds, rain and even thunderstorms, according to Weather.com.

The Seahawks practiced outside in mild weather Wednesday and again in the rain Thursday. They were indoors Friday.

“Wind’s always a factor, for sure,” quarterback Russell Wilson said this week when asked about playing in inclement weather. “Rain and stuff like that is not as much as a factor, unless it’s just hailing like I think it was against the Saints in the playoff game.”

The weather was indeed crummy during that divisional-round playoff game against New Orleans in January of 2014. Wilson completed nine of 18 attempts for 103 yards in the Seahawks’ 23-15 victory while wearing a glove on his left, non-throwing hand. He called that – and not the sub-zero temperatures last January in Minneapolis – the worst weather he’s ever played in.

“That was pretty bad,” he said. “I don’t think rain is really a factor; it’s more just the winds. You always have to know how to play that. We’ll see what it is on Sunday.”