As if nothing, neither nature nor the bad judgment of humans, wanted to spoil the party of the great match between Argentina and Spain, Lio Messi against his “protégé” Lamine Yamal, forecasts predict that the air quality will improve on Sunday in East Rutherford, location of the MetLife stadium, in New Jersey.
For this weekend, as another weather system pushes warmer air to other areas, both the heat and the smoke from the Canadian fires are expected to decrease in the northeastern U.S. This will allow the air quality to improve ahead of the World Cup final.
Spain trained outdoors on Thursday in New Jersey, under the haze, defying health warnings
This relief, which is expected to be accompanied by storms on Saturday evening, is already noticeable this Friday in Manhattan. Although there is still that haze feeling and many people are seen wearing masks again, the day was much clearer.
“On Sunday we should see less smoke and better air quality, to some extent, with more hours of sun and warm temperatures, although with a much less humid environment,” said meteorologist Jay Engle this Friday.
That bomb that the mix of high temperatures and smoke represents meant that in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut) an alert was in effect on Wednesday and Thursday for “unhealthy” and “unhealthy for sensitive groups” air quality.
There were numerous calls for caution, especially advising to stay in air-conditioned spaces whenever possible, limit time spent outdoors, and stay hydrated. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, of the city through which more than a million visitors have passed or will pass due to this event, insisted on special attention to people with heart or lung problems, pregnant women, and babies. In the parks, hardly anyone was seen exercising.
That Thursday afternoon, in the midst of the haze, the Spain team trained on Thursday afternoon at their quarters in East Hanover (New Jersey), about 50 kilometers southwest of Manhattan. The players practiced under a dense haze due to those distant fires.
However, some specialists criticized the decision to train outdoors on Thursday and not do it in indoor facilities. Under the conditions of that day, experts expressed concern about conducting those outdoor trainings.
“These are elite athletes who, in every training and every match, move a large amount of air through their lungs. In reality, they should not train outdoors when air quality reaches dangerous levels due to pollution caused by wildfire smoke,” said Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency physician and representative of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, to the AP agency.
“In those circumstances, the appropriate thing is to schedule training in an indoor facility. They could wear an N95 mask, but getting everyone to wear it perfectly fitted is probably not the best option. I would look for an air-conditioned indoor facility that functions as a clean air shelter,” added this specialist.
Luis de la Fuente’s team trained again this Friday morning, although the environment was much clearer due to the improving weather conditions.
Only the winds need to stay steady so that nothing clouds the great football show.
