Thursday Night Football: 49ers, Giants to play in unhealthy air quality
Wildfire smoke has pushed air quality index numbers to unhealthy levels near Levi's Stadium, where the 49ers and Giants are scheduled to play Thursday Night Football this week.
Thursday Night Football pits the 2-0 San Francisco 49ers against the 1-1 New York Giants in the first game of Week 3 of the NFL season. Both teams are fresh off a win and, on a short week, will have less time than usual to prepare.
Another factor they'll have to consider is wildfire smoke.
Despite one of the quietest California fire seasons in a decade, parts of the state are now experiencing wildfire smoke. Specifically, the San Francisco Bay Area, including Santa Clara, home to Thursday night's venue: Levi's Stadium.
Why is there smoke in the Bay Area?
The San Francisco Bay Area's experiencing smoke because of wildfires in Oregon and Northern California. Events like the Smith River Complex Fire have burned tens of thousands of acres in California. Across the Oregon border the Flat, Anvil, and Lookout fires are burning as well.
As winds shifted, air quality in the Bay Area changed Tuesday morning and continued to worsen through Wednesday as more smoke poured into the region.
Study: Why smoke, air quality alerts are descending on San Francisco Bay Area
How bad is the Bay Area air quality?
The San Francisco Bay Area has some of the smokiest air in the country, per the EPA's AirNow Fire and Smoke map. The map breaks down the air quality index (AQI) into these categories with accompanying warnings:
- 0-50: Good. No warnings included.
- 51-100: Moderate. Active children and adults and people with respiratory disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
- 101-150: Unhealthy for sensitive groups. Active children and adults and people with respiratory disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
- 151-200: Unhealthy. Active children and adults and people with respiratory disease should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion. Everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
- 201-300: Very unhealthy. Active children and adults and people with respiratory disease should avoid all outdoor exertion. Everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.
- 300+: Hazardous. Everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion.
The southern and eastern counties in the San Francisco Bay area have some of the worst air quality numbers in the country. The AirNow's high-quality sensor in northern San Jose, a few miles from Levi's Stadium, was reading an AQI of 111 as of Wednesday afternoon. Lower-cost sensors near the stadium's parking lots read an AQI of 148.
Wildfire impacts: Graphics show how wildfire smoke affects your health
How will wildfire smoke affect Thursday Night Football?
The smoke is expected to stay through Thursday into Friday morning. With kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. ET, the 49ers and Giants will almost certainly be playing in smoky conditions.
The 49ers had to deal with wildfire smoke during the 2020 NFL season. Though conditions aren't nearly as bad as they were for much of that year, it's significant enough for a "Spare the Air" alert from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
The NFL and 49ers officials did not comment on the air quality Wednesday. Typically, the league has taken action if the AQI exceeds 200, as it did during training camp for multiple NFL teams.
Around that same time, the Pittsburgh Pirates played in smoky conditions and players were upset about playing in that game.
"It seems like money takes precedent over player health," Pirates catcher Austin Hedges said after the game.
If the conditions worsen, the NFL may need to make a last-minute change. Forecasters predict shifting winds on Friday will improve conditions in the area by the evening and that could be enough to provide a better environment for football over the weekend.