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Or sign-in if you have an account.Members of the media leave the pitch after a Spain's training session was postponed due to weather conditions in New Jersey, on July 18, 2026. Spain and Argentina will meet in the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL /AFP via Getty ImagesHeavy rains forecast to douse the New York and Washington, DC, areas will improve air quality worsened by Canadian wildfires ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorBut in Chicago, conditions will worsen Saturday night as air patterns send more smoke down from across the northern border. Air quality is still “very unhealthy” in parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia as of Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.New York City will see rain and thunderstorms Saturday afternoon and evening, which could offer some relief to the worst of the smoke on Sunday when Spain and Argentina meet in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“Tomorrow’s theme is really pretty poor in the upper Midwest again, as the east and northeast start to improve,” said Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster for the US Weather Prediction Center. Air quality concerns for the World Cup game on Sunday should be “much better, but not fully gone.”Longer term, the smoke will likely fluctuate across the Midwest, Northeast and southern Canada for weeks to come as hundreds of forest fires rage unchecked. US President Donald Trump alleged the US’s northern neighbor is “responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests.”Trump said he planned to speak with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “to find out what they are going to do about it,” while also threatening to increase tariffs on Canada in response to the trans-border smoke. Canada’s boreal forest is particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures driven by climate change.Saturday’s thunderstorms are forecast to hit New York City and northern New Jersey in the afternoon and evening. The biggest concern will be damaging winds of more than 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour, Hurley said. The area is under flood watches as it braces for as much as four inches (10 centimeters) of rain in some pockets.“Tomorrow will bring severe storms to New York City,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday in a post on X. “Thunderstorms are expected to bring damaging winds strong enough to down trees and power lines, along with heavy rainfall that could cause flash flooding.”Across the US, wildfires in the Pacific Northwest are causing air quality issues in Oregon and Idaho, with the potential for smoky air to dip into northern California, Hurley said. Conditions southwest of the Blue Mountains in Oregon were considered “unhealthy” as of Saturday morning.The US was battered by multiple weather extremes this week, with more than half of the population breathing in smoky air, enduring high heat or contending with catastrophic flooding on Friday.As the climate warms, the chances of more intense storms, droughts and fires have been rising. A hotter world, driven by human-caused warming, has led to the atmosphere holding more moisture, prompting catastrophic flooding. It’s also contributed to significant levels of evaporation that’s ushered in years-long droughts, including in the US Southwest earlier this century.Some scientists say this is just the beginning of even more severe weather during both summer and winter that will threaten commerce and populations globally.—With assistance from Vivien Ngo, Tom Fevrier and Anand Mammen Katakam.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.