Photo credit: Niv Rozenberg
Smoke from Canadian wildfires has turned the New York skyline into an orange, toxic haze. Some concerts have already been cancelled. What about the Governors Ball?
“We closely monitor the air quality with weather experts and are in close contact with the city administration,” says a Representative for the music festival. “As always, the health and safety of New Yorkers is our top priority. The festival is currently continuing as planned. We hope that the conditions will improve in the coming days and look forward to a great weekend!”
The Gov Ball Festival is a three day party taking place in Queens from June 9th to 11th. Headliners include Lizzo, Odesza and Kendrick Lamar. lil nas
New York’s air quality health warning has been extended until midnight on Thursday. Schools in NYC have canceled all outdoor activities. The US National Weather Service has issued air quality warnings for most of the Atlantic Seaboard – not just New York City. Health officials from Vermont to South Carolina and further west to Ohio and Kansas are warning residents against spending time outdoors.
Obscured visibility from the haze has forced the Federal Aviation Administration to slow air travel to NYC and Philadelphia, causing flight delays of up to half an hour. A Broadway matinee was canceled after actress Jodie Comer had trouble breathing due to poor air quality. Several other concerts in the area have been canceled due to air quality concerns.
The New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies have also postponed their home games scheduled for today. In some areas the air quality index was well above 400. The scale puts 100 as “unhealthy” air and 300 as “dangerous” air to breathe. The smoke comes from Canadian wildfires that have burned more than 9.4 million hectares at an unusually early start to the wildfire season.