Extreme heat is a growing danger for players and fans of the World Cup.
The summer tournament — one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year — kicks off June 11 in Mexico City and ends July 19, with games taking place in some of North America’s hottest cities. A new scientific analysis finds that many of the matches will likely be played in unsafe conditions featuring the risky combination of high temperatures and thick, moist air.
The study, published Thursday by the international research consortium World Weather Attribution, examines the so-called wet-bulb temperature, a metric that accounts for both heat and humidity. High temperatures can be more dangerous when combined with high levels of moisture.
A wet-bulb temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit, for instance, is fatal to humans after just a few hours of exposure. This threshold refers to the health hazards of a 95 F air temperature and a 100 percent humidity level. But the same risks occur with higher temperatures and lower humidity —100 F combined with 85 percent humidity is also equivalent to a wet-bulb temperature of 95 F.
