Liberty-Lynx game at Barclays Center postponed due to air quality issues caused by Canadian wildfires
Wednesday night’s matchup between the Liberty and Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center has been postponed due to the air quality issues in New York City caused by wildfires in Canada, the WNBA announced.
The game will be rescheduled for a late date.
“The city has been placed under an Air Quality Health Advisory until Thursday morning,” the Liberty said in a press release. “This decision has been made to protect the health and safety of our fans, teams and community.”
Wednesday’s matchup would’ve been the first game between the two teams this season. The team announced that tickets for the postponed game will automatically be valid for the new date.
The NYC area is blanketed with haze due to the hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada. Brooklyn’s air quality index (AQI) at the time of the postponement came in at 413, which is considered hazardous, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Per the EPA, an AQI in the 0-50 range is considered “good.” The 101-150 range is considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” such as “children and adults who are active outdoors” and people with medical and/or exposure conditions, including lung diseases. The 151-200 range is considered generally “unhealthy,” while the 201-300 range is “very unhealthy.” Anything above that is considered “hazardous.”
News of the Liberty game being postponed came around the same time Major League Baseball opted to reschedule Wednesday’s Yankees game against the Chicago White Sox in the Bronx.
No other WNBA games were postponed on Wednesday and the Liberty are still scheduled to take on the Atlanta Dream on Friday in College Park. After Friday’s game, Sandy Brondello and her team will return to Barclays Center to kick off a three-game homestand beginning on Sunday.
The Liberty are scheduled to take on the Dallas Wings on Sunday and will play the Dream again on Tuesday. The homestand will end on June 18 when Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury visit the Liberty for a matinee matchup.
