Map Shows Millions Under Wildfire Smoke Ahead of World Cup Final
Newsweek · C · trust 46/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Millions of Americans remain under air quality alerts Saturday as thick smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires blanket large swaths of the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic, just one day before the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey.
Air quality warnings remain in effect across multiple states. Forecasters warn that the smoke would continue drifting south and east through the weekend before conditions gradually improve.
The Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow forecast map shows widespread smoke stretching from the northern Rockies and Upper Midwest to the Ohio Valley. The heaviest concentrations are forecast across parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. Several areas are expected to experience air quality ranging from "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" to "Unhealthy," with localized pockets forecast to reach "Very Unhealthy" levels.
The hazy conditions come as hundreds of thousands of fans arrive in the New York metropolitan area for Sunday’s World Cup final between Argentina and Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Although the wildfire smoke has prompted public health concerns, FIFA has given no indication that the match is at risk of being postponed or relocated.
Newsweek has contacted FIFA, via email outside of normal working hours, for comment.
Related Story Canada Wildfires: Trump Threatens to Raise Tariffs Over Smoke Pollution ... Wildfires Surge After Quiet Start The smoke blanketing the eastern United States is being driven by hundreds of active wildfires burning across Canada. In Ontario, several large, out-of-control blazes have sent thick plumes south on prevailing winds.
The Canadian government said earlier this month that while this year's wildfire season initially tracked below the five-year average, fire danger has intensified amid hotter, drier summer conditions. Officials warned that the risk is expected to increase in the weeks ahead.
Smoke from the Ontario blazes, along with fires burning in Minnesota's Boundary Waters region, reduced visibility and triggered unhealthy air quality in major metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Detroit, Washington, and New York.
The haze also prompted regional disruptions, including the postponement of a Major League Baseball game and the temporary closure of the Six Flags Great America amusement park outside Chicago. Forecasters expect shifting weather patterns and thunderstorms to clear the air in some areas over the weekend, though smoke is likely to linger in parts of the Northeast.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump , who will be attending the final match on Sunday, wrote in a Truth Social message on Friday afternoon that he is "holding Canada responsible” for the wildfires causing poor air quality across the U.S. and threatened to add the cost of the damage to tariffs Canada is currently paying.
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, t he quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” the president wrote. “I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it. The cost is incalculable! Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result. This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”
On Friday, three U.S. cities rose to the top of a global ranking for worst air quality. Detroit recorded the worst air quality of any major city tracked by IQAir, registering a U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) of 240—well into the "Very Unhealthy" category.
Chicago followed with an AQI of 199 and Washington stood at 172, while New York City ranked eighth at 131. By comparison, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, recorded an AQI of 186, while Delhi, India, stood at 163.
Related Story How US Cities Compare to Most Polluted in World Amid Canadian Wildfires Is the US Helping Canada With Wildfires? The U.S. and Canada maintain a decades-old wildfire mutual aid agreement that allows firefighters, aircraft and emergency personnel to cross the border when fire activity surges, and U.S. officials say they are coordinating closely with Canadian authorities as hundreds of fires burn across the country.
When pressed on whether the U.S. would stop assisting Canada with wildfires given Trump’s concerns, the White House did not respond to Newsweek .
FIFA officials said they are continuing to monitor air quality ahead of Sunday’s championship match.
Tournament organizers are working alongside the National Weather Service, which has a meteorologist stationed at FIFA’s tournament headquarters to provide real-time weather and air quality updates.
"There's been discussion about it, and we have somebody with the National Weather Service that sits in FIFA headquarters there, so we're monitoring closely," Executive Director Andrew Giuliani said at a White House World Cup Task Force briefing on Friday.
Officials familiar with the planning say there are currently no plans to postpone or relocate the final.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Matthew Robinson and Anthony Murray .
Read the original at Newsweek →
Open in TruthVane →