Weather Channel referenced Patriots-Falcons Super Bowl during Hurricane Milton report

The random reference came as the eye of the storm passed overhead and residents were urged to prepare for the "second half."

Weather Channel meteorologist’s Patriots-Falcons reference: Amid the landfall of powerful Hurricane Milton on the Florida coast Wednesday night, meteorologists attempted to provide reporting on the ground for those affected by the storm. In one case, The Weather Channel’s Paul Goodloe tried to emphasize a particular point with, of all things, a Super Bowl LI reference.

Reporting from Sarasota as the eye of the storm passed overhead, Goodloe discussed the characteristic momentary calm that settled over the area.

“We definitely enjoyed the little halftime show that Mother Nature gave us inside Milton, but now we’ve got the second half,” he said. “I’ve got to remind everyone that you might still be in the eye right now. There’s a lot more to go.”

To make his point, Goodloe chose a somewhat strange metaphor: Super Bowl LI, in which the Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to win the championship in overtime.

“I think back to the Atlanta Falcons’ first half Super Bowl winner. We know what happened to the second half, when the Patriots came to life,” Goodloe referenced. “So do not sleep on the second half of Milton, and we’re definitely concerned now with this [storm] surge.”

Milton ended up making landfall close to Sarasota, which saw wind speeds in excess of 80 MPH and locally recorded over eight inches of rainfall. The storm has reportedly left more than three million Floridians without power.

Scores and schedules:

Tonight, the Bruins host the Canadiens in the 2024-25 regular season home opener.

The game is set to get underway at TD Garden at 7 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

• Drake Maye on replacing Jacoby Brissett as Patriots QB: ‘You hate it for him’

The trailer: Here’s the full preview of the upcoming Netflix documentary about the 2004 Red Sox. It will be released on Oct. 23.

On this day: In 2004, the Patriots beat the Dolphins 24-10. Though it was a fairly lackluster performance for the Patriots offense — Tom Brady went just 7-for-19 for 76 yards passing — New England controlled the game with 135 yards rushing.

The memorable tidbit from the day was Miami’s usage of rookie wide receiver Wes Welker as an emergency kicker. Though he didn’t catch a pass in his rookie season, Welker contributed by converting both an extra point and a 29-yard field goal (on top of returning kickoffs and punts).

Daily highlight: Victor Wembanyama showed off his passing skills with a no-look assist in a preseason game on Wednesday.