Wildfires are burning in the Quebec province of Canada and the effects are being felt in the air quality in parts of the Northeast this week. On Wednesday, an air quality health advisory was put into effect for the New York metropolitan area. According to CBS News, New York City is second only to Delhi, India for the worst air quality and pollution out of 100 tracked countries as of Wednesday morning. Major League Baseball had not yet postponed any of Wednesday night's games in the Northeast, but the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals are all scheduled to play at home.
MLB says it is monitoring the situations in the affected cities and could opt to reschedule Yankees vs. White Sox, Phillies vs. Tigers and Nationals vs. Diamondbacks.
Some professional baseball games have already been postponed because of the wildfires. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and the Syracuse Mets -- the Triple-A affiliates of the Yankees and Mets, respectively -- both postponed home games on Tuesday night. The RailRiders said the decision was made out of "an abundance of caution for potential health concerns."
The Yankees did play against the White Sox on Tuesday night in the Bronx, and the effects of the low air quality were visible throughout the night. While the two teams played, the sky's distinct color was impossible to ignore:
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In a report from The Athletic, climate scientist Dan Westervelt said the conditions are "pretty unprecedented in New York." The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert until midnight on Wednesday in New York due to "widespread haze, and "patchy smoke."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said the state recommends "vulnerable New Yorkers stay inside."
"This is an unprecedented event in our city, and New Yorkers must take precautions," Adams said. "At the moment, we recommend vulnerable New Yorkers stay inside, and all New Yorkers should limit outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible.
