Wildfire smoke blankets millions in US, raising concerns for World Cup final

Wildfire smoke from Canada has blanketed millions of Americans in unhealthy air, leading to hazardous air quality alerts in major cities and raising concerns for weekend events like the World Cup final.

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What we should start to see is a return of northwesterly winds over the Great Lakes, and that’s going to pick up some of that smoke and push it over the Northeast.

Detroit and Chicago registered the world's worst air quality on Friday, with the air quality index reaching "hazardous" levels. Washington D.C. was also severely affected, ranking "very unhealthy." In New York and New Jersey, where the World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, the air quality was "unhealthy," obscuring the Manhattan skyline.

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I don’t believe that this should be as impactful as if you might be playing a game today.

While forecasters suggest air quality might improve for the Sunday match, with potential for rain to help clear the smoke, hazy skies are still anticipated. "The extent of the really thick smoke we’re seeing, we shouldn’t be seeing necessarily that kind of smoke during the match," said National Weather Service meteorologist Peter Mullinax.

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We just have to see whether those fires continue in the same scale.

Across the Midwest and Northeast, residents donned masks outdoors. Libraries and train stations in New York distributed masks freely. The upper Midwest, closer to the fires, has endured "hazardous" air for days. Advocates emphasize the link between these recurring smoky skies and climate change, urging a swift transition to clean energy.

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Increasingly smoky skies underscore the importance of a rapid transition to clean energy rather than building more polluting fossil fuel infrastructure that further contributes to climate change.