(WGHP) – We’re two weeks away from spring but allergy sufferers are already starting to feel it: the runny nose and watery eyes. Pollen season is back, and it arrived in full force thanks to a late-February warm-up.
It may feel like the pollen came out of nowhere, probably because mid-February was frigid and brought a couple bouts of wintry weather, but it actually arrived right on time.
According to the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection, pollen season in the Piedmont Triad normally begins in late February. Typically, the first pollen to arrive is tree pollen, mainly cedar trees, and it’s due to the warming temperatures by the end of February.
While we may have seen a frigid couple of weeks, the last week of February brought average high temperatures nearly 7 degrees warmer than normal. Afternoon high temperatures were in the 70s, 15 degrees above normal, for three days in a row. This drastic warm-up and “taste of spring” allowed cedar pollen to arrive in full force, seemingly out of nowhere.
Weather can strongly influence pollen levels, and we’ve seen that impact recently. Several days have been windy, dry and warmer, all of which lead to higher pollen levels as the particles are more easily able to travel through the air.
When it rains, the pollen levels are typically lower because the rain “cleanses” the air and allows the pollen to settle instead of freely roaming the atmosphere.
Colder temperatures and frost also lower the pollen levels because it sends a signal to plants to be more “dormant” to protect themselves and their offspring (the pollen) from the cold air.
So far, early March has brought moderate to high pollen levels most days due to the near-normal, warm afternoons as well as dry and windy conditions.
Severe weather and rain moved through the Triad on Wednesday morning but the majority of the day has been dry and windy. Since the remainder of the day has been on the dry, warm and windy side, tree pollen levels remained high for mid-week.
As of March 5, the high level of tree pollen consists of 86.1% cedar and juniper and 2.4% elm.
The next few days remain breezy and dry with a warm-up into the weekend. The combination of these three factors keeps the pollen level forecast in the high category for the end of the week and into the weekend.
Remember, allergy season has only just begun. It may just be tree pollen right now, but other allergens will soon follow.
What else can we expect from the allergy season?
The next allergen expected to make an appearance is oak pollen. Oak trees produce pollen a little bit later with the highest pollen densities of the year reaching peak levels in April.
Following oak pollen, maple, pine and birch trees produce what North Carolinians refer to as “the pollening,” when everything is suddenly blanketed in yellow. Tree pollen season typically ends in June.
But, obviously the pollen and allergens aren’t done just yet. In May, grass pollen makes an appearance and lingers through September with the highest levels of grass pollen occurring in May and June.
The height of summer, July, usually means low pollen levels, but, then, ragweed pollen makes an appearance by late August into September.
Once the first hard frost occurs typically by late October, the allergy season comes to a close.
