Catastrophic flooding sweeps across Texas, in photos

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Catastrophic flooding has swept across parts of Texas following days of heavy rain, submerging homes and roads, prompting hundreds of rescues and leaving emergency responders working around the clock as floodwaters continue to threaten communities.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

A woman stands on a sidewalk after being rescued from flood waters by members of the Boerne Fire Dept. on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Boerne, Texas. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

The Pedernales River floods near Old Kerr Highway on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Fredericksburg, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

A flood-damaged car hangs from a fence on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Boerne, Texas. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

Flood water flows through a restaurant's parking lot on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Boerne, Texas. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

Los Corrales Dance Hall along State Highway 27 is flooded on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Comfort, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

The Pedernales River floods along State Highway 16 on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Fredericksburg, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

Water along the Pedernales River floods the Gillespie County Safety Rest Area on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Stonewall, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

Flooding blocks off G Street along the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

A property's gate featuring cattle is partially submerged with flood waters along State Highway 27 in Comfort, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

A U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic technician surveys water levels along the Pedernales River using an acoustic doppler profiler on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Fredericksburg, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

A helicopter flies over the Guadalupe River as floods pass through the area on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

Hugh Ghormley watches as water moves along the Pedernales River at the Blanco County Fair and Rodeo on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Johnson City, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

Ella and Grace Sanford and their dog Benjamin ride on a Texas Game Wardens rescue boat after being evacuated from their home after flooding in Uvalde, Texas, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Casy Sanford via AP)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The start time for the MLB game between the New York Mets and the Phillies on Thursday in Philadelphia was moved up an hour due to air quality concerns because of wildfire smoke from Canada and northern Minnesota, and an MLS game in Chicago was postponed.

Heavy, pungent wildfire smoke darkened skies in the U.S. from the Great Lakes to parts of the East Coast, reducing visibility and prompting warnings that breathing the air outside could be dangerous.

Officials in many cities urged residents to stay inside or wear masks outside as air quality reached unhealthy to hazardous levels, meaning it’s unhealthy for anyone, regardless of health conditions. The National Weather Service said a lingering high pressure system has trapped the smoke close to the ground.

The Philadelphia region is experiencing smoky and hazy skies. The game's start was moved to 6:10 p.m. EDT from 7:10 p.m. It is the only game on the big league schedule coming out of this week's All-Star break.

“It’s definitely different,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said on ESPN during the broadcasting of the game. “Not the greatest idea, I guess, to come out here and play in this type of weather, but we’re doing it.”

After his team’s 4-1 victory, Mets interim manager Andy Green was asked how the conditions affected the game.

“I don’t think they really did,” Green said. “I think it felt like they could have at any moment, especially as visibility got tougher. But, guys managed to see baseballs that I couldn’t when they went up in the air as popups. So, good thing we’ve got good athletes on the field that can see things.”

Phillies manager Don Mattingly said tracking fly balls later in the game seemed to become an issue.

“It didn’t seem to be a huge problem,” Mattingly said. "The vision, later on, was a little bit like foggy conditions more than the air quality. As far as the guys were concerned (visibility) seemed to be the problem.”

This is the second time wildfire smoke has affected a game in Philadelphia. In June 2023, a game between Detroit and Philadelphia was postponed due to poor air quality related to smoke from Canadian wildfires.

Poor air quality due to wildfire smoke also forced the Major League Soccer game between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Fire at Chicago's Soldier Field, along with a scheduled postgame concert, to be postponed. The game, which was expected to draw 40,000, will be made up on Oct. 6.

Also, the Canadian Premier League postponed Thursday's scheduled game between Forge FC and Pacific FC that was to be played in Hamilton, Ontario, due to “worsening air quality issues.” The league said on its website that conditions “deteriorated in the final hours leading up to kickoff.”

Trinity Rodman, a member of the U.S. women's national team, said the smokey sky was difficult to deal with during Wednesday night's NWSL game between the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC at New York's Citi Field.

Rodman said she wasn't a fan of the hydration breaks every 15 minutes in the game as the temperature reached into the 90s.

“Air quality was rough,” Rodman was quoted as saying by The Athletic. “Not to make excuses at all, but I think on both sides we were all like, ‘another break, another break, another break.’”

A crowd of more than 42,000 attended the rematch of teams in last season's NWSL title game. The crowd was a record for a women’s sporting event in New York City.

“If we have to have a hydration break every 15 minutes, then we shouldn’t be playing the game, and that’s my opinion,” Rodman said. “But at the end of the day, there’s 40,000 people. It’s a whole event, so it’s really tough. It’s just a really hard situation for everyone to work around.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

The Sun sets behind the stands during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

The Sun has an orange cast from smoke coming down from the Canadian wildfires as it sets near the Philadelphia Phillies scoreboard during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

People wear masks as they walk on the street during poor air quality due to dense smoke from Canadian wildfires in Evanston, Ill., Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A general view of a street in Northbrook, Ill., during poor air quality due to dense smoke from Canadian wildfires in Northbrook, Ill., Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A general view of street mall during poor air quality due to dense smoke from Canadian wildfires in Glenview, Ill., Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) CORRECTION: Glenview, not Northbrook