This World Cup has been hot and, at times, stormy, with a sizeable chunk of its 104 games set to be played above 90F (32C).
Spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, it has been the warmest edition since the previous World Cup in North America, when the U.S. hosted it solo in 1994.
Extreme heat and humidity has affected how matches are played and thunderstorms have provided a greater logistical challenge.
Under the thunderstorm protocol in place, a match must be suspended if lightning or electrical discharge is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium involved.
Once that happens, a 30-minute countdown begins, but resets if another strike is detected before it ends. On June 22, the game between France and Iraq became the first World Cup game delayed by the storms, stopping for more than two hours.
To help understand which games will be most affected, The Athletic is working with Aaron Mentkowski, chief meteorologist at WKBW-TV Buffalo, to provide a daily forecast. Aaron will join live coverage to explain what’s happening during storm delays.
Spain vs Argentina
Sunday, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kick-off 3pm local time
As fans flock to New York City leading up to the World Cup final, here’s a look at the weather you can expect over the next few days.
An Air Quality Alert is in effect today through tonight. This means that fine particulates within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards. Wildfire smoke from Canada spreading southward toward New York City will create hazy sunshine and elevated pollutant levels in the area.
Today it will be hot and hazy with a high temperature of 92F (33C). Winds will be out of the west at 5 to 15 miles per hour, gusting near 25 miles per hour at times.
On Friday, the wildfire smoke will still be in the area, but computer models are suggesting the smoke will not be as thick. Hazy skies are expected on Friday with a high temperature near 90F (32C).
Rain returns on Saturday. Showers and thundershowers are likely, with the best chance for rain late Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening. It will be cooler on Saturday with a high of 84F (29C). Rain should help clear the smoke, though it can be difficult to predict how effective it will be.
The rain showers will linger into early Sunday morning. The rain will be tapering off and skies will be clearing in the afternoon. For the 3pm ET start of the match, the temperature will be near 85F (29C).