We are continuing to closely monitor the air quality in Berkeley before Friday's football game against Washington State, which is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m., and are in communication with the Pac-12, Washington State and air quality experts as we determine the best course of action. We are working through an unique situation, and the health and safety of our student-athletes, fans, coaches and all those who work home football games is of utmost concern. As of the time of this release, we do not anticipate any changes to our scheduled game with Washington State.
The NCAA Sport Science Institute provides parameters for activities when air quality is poor, and we are using the recommendations as a guideline. The NCAA uses a sustained Air Quality Index (AQI) of 200 or above as a threshold to delay or cancel competition.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, the AQI for the Berkeley area was 155 (see: airnow.gov). AQI numbers from smoke are highly dependent on wind direction and can change rapidly. While prior data doesn't predict the future, over the past few days, the AQI has tended to decline into the evening hours and fell into the 80s (moderate level) by 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The NCAA Sport Science Institute provides parameters for activities when air quality is poor, and we are using the recommendations as a guideline. The NCAA uses a sustained Air Quality Index (AQI) of 200 or above as a threshold to delay or cancel competition.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, the AQI for the Berkeley area was 155 (see: airnow.gov). AQI numbers from smoke are highly dependent on wind direction and can change rapidly. While prior data doesn't predict the future, over the past few days, the AQI has tended to decline into the evening hours and fell into the 80s (moderate level) by 7 p.m. Wednesday.