Rose Bowl weather interrupts iconic tradition before Alabama-Indiana

The Rose Bowl is an iconic part of college football tradition, but at least one part of the tradition is in jeopardy. The first Rose Bowl was played in 1902 and while all of the pageantry of the year's epic game doesn't date that far back, one epic Rose Bowl tradition is apparently in genuine jeopardy in 2026.

The Rose Bowl's annual B-2 stealth bomber flyover did not occur in the pregame as is typical. In most years, the B-2 flyover has two components-- appearing in both the annual Rose Bowl parade and in the game's final pregame moments.

But this season, pregame rain and cloud cover caused the B-2 flyover to be scrapped, at least in terms of the parade and the usual pregame slot for the game. The flyover missed the 2023 parade, when the Air Force made that decision due to safety concerns.

The flyover is always a tightly organized matter, as the flyover takes place is one of the most crowded areas of airspace in America. As a B-2 bomber buzzes the stadium at high speed, it's a massive whoosh of speed and noise such as is rarely encountered elsewhere in college football circles.

Fans have long enjoyed and anticipated the tradition, and while the crowded airspace is a typical issue, the usually sunny Southern California rarely presents a challenge.

But not so in 2026. According to the Pasadena News, A U.S. Air Force spokesperson admitted, "Due to the inclement weather in Pasadena causing a low (cloud) ceiling, the B-2 Spirit could not conduct its scheduled flyover for the Rose Parade."

Hopes were still that the flyover might occur during halftime rather than before the game. Rain has rarely been a part of the game thus far, and general clearing leaves hopes open for a halftime flyover.

A low cloud ceiling makes aerial navigation challenging, as pilots who would normally rely on visual flight rules instead have to use instrument-based flight rules. This is particularly significant in areas with mountains, and the Rose Bowl is surrounded by the scenic San Gabriel Mountains, which would make the flyover challenging and potentially unsafe in a low cloud ceiling.

But fans of the flyover are still crossing their fingers and clearing conditions leave the halftime option still remaining open. Hopefully, the Rose Bowl tradition is merely delayed and now missed altogether.