The New York metro area is still suffering from punishing haze and choking smoke from the Canadian wildfires, but experts are hopeful a change in the weather could offer some relief in time for Sunday’s FIFA World Cup Final.
New Yorkers woke up again Friday to “unhealthy” air quality levels, triggering health alerts as the Big Apple ranked fourth for worst air quality in the world among major cities, according to IQAir.
Residents have been advised to stay indoors whenever possible and to limit strenuous outdoor activities – particularly those who suffer from respiratory issues.
Concerns have been raised about the impact of the poor air quality as Spain and Argentina prepare to square off at the open-air New York-New Jersey Stadium on Sunday to decide the 2026 World Cup champion.
However, experts anticipate a well-timed cold front and some rain over the weekend could mitigate some of the worst of the smoke and haze just in time for the match.
“It’s going to rain a lot on Saturday, so that should dissipate a lot of the smoke. Sunday morning, I think we’re going to be seeing a cold front come through the area and it should kick out any remaining smoke that we’re seeing,” AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva said.
Even if the rain chases away some of the poor-quality air ahead of Sunday’s 3:00 p.m. start time, players could still be at risk for certain health issues and should take precautions, experts warn.
“It not only is going to be terrible, terrible air quality. It’s hot, and that can cause an extreme amount of stress on the heart,” Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and board of directors member at the American Lung Association said.
“That is a very powerful and dangerous one-two punch to the human body. It’s going to be critical to maintain core body temperatures as low as possible.”
With Post wires
