SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KRON) — The NFL playoffs are finally back at Levi’s Stadium with an NFC Wild Card matchup on Saturday between San Francisco and Seattle. The 49ers are hosting a postseason game for the first time since January 2020.

Fans inside the stadium should expect rain and wind all afternoon for the 1:30 p.m. kickoff against the Seattle Seahawks, according to KRON4 Meteorologist Kyla Grogan. Rain is expected to start falling around 10 a.m. in the Santa Clara area.

Winds are expected to be between 10 and 15 miles an hour — possibly up to 25 mph.

In Week 7 of 2021, the 49ers — amidst a storm with rain pouring all night — played against the Indianapolis Colts. The 49ers lost 30-18; quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball twice, one of them resulting in a turnover.

This time, it will be rookie Brock Purdy starting under center in the rain. Since taking over the starting job in Week 14 for the injured Garoppolo, Purdy has led the 49ers to five straight wins.

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan on the Rainy Conditions

“He did a good job,” Shanahan said about Purdy practicing in the rain Wednesday. “I did group install with the defense before and he definitely did a lot better than me. I couldn’t function at all, so it was definitely cool to watch him after, which it should be that way, but no I think he’s got some familiarity with it just being where he played college football and he had a good practice yesterday.” 

Shanahan was later asked about the team being in severe weather games earlier this season. The team had experience playing in rain earlier this year. The 49ers lost Week 1 in Chicago against the Bears as rain poured all game.

“Yeah, I think it’s good for guys to know what to expect because some guys who aren’t in it and they get surprised by it,” Shanahan continued during a press conference Thursday. “If you’re not ready for something mentally no one likes sitting in rain or like sitting up at Air Force when it was like 10 degrees. If you’re not mentally prepared for that, it’ll really mess you up, so going through it and seeing how it can mess you up guys will be prepared for it and they’ll make sure it doesn’t affect them going into it.” 

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Saturday’s game is expected to have 68,500 attendees, according to the City of Santa Clara. Officials say heavy traffic and delays are expected going in and out of the stadium, including Lawrence Expressway, Great America Parkway, San Tomas Expressway, and Highways 101, 237 and 880.

Stadium gates open at 11:30 a.m. For more information on traffic advisory, click HERE.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.