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Sunny skies forecast for Winter Classic -- problematic?

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WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 27: Members of the ice crew install logos on the ice during the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Build Out on December 27, 2014 at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will take place on New Year’s Day with the Washington Capitals playing the Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

Patrick McDermott

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That’s the weather forecast for this week in Washington, D.C., where the Winter Classic will be held 1 pm ET Thursday at Nationals Park (watch on NBC and online).

Certainly no reason to worry that the game could be postponed due to rain; however, the sun may present a challenge for the ice-makers, based on what’s been said in the past.

“You can be as cold as you want, but if we have sun we have a problem,” ice guru Dan Craig said last year in Ann Arbor.

The ideal Winter Classic forecast is overcast and cold, with maybe a light sprinkling of snow to make it look good on TV.

Below is video of Craig with an update on the rink build, in which he says the hope is for more cloud coverage than just “partly” cloudy.

At the moment, it doesn’t look like he’ll even get “partly” cloudy.