Warm weather and few freezes resulted in record amounts of pollen this spring. Here, pollen can be seen hanging from pecan tree in Pike County.
Pollen a problem for many
Pollen is causing problems for some Pike County residents as record amounts of the powder clouds the air. Plants produce pollen, which contains the microgametophytes of seed plants, to reproduce each spring. This year pollen counts have gone off the charts, setting records and causing headaches and congestion for millions.
Amy Lord, a pharmacist at City Pharmacy in Zebulon, said allergy symptoms resulting from the high pollen count typically include nasal congestion and drainage and can affect people of all ages.
“Recently there has been an increase in the number of people asking what they can take to help with itchy and watery eyes and sinus congestion,” she said. “Pollen causes sinus issues for a lot of people. We could use a good downpour to wash it all away.”
Some forecasters blame the unseasonably warm weather and few cold snaps for causing plants to bloom weeks early and release the allergy-causing particles. The Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic has measured the amount of pollen in the air since the 1980s. It reported last week’s counts beat record pollen counts set in April 1999. The Atlanta pollen count for the first day of spring, March 20, was nearly 9,400 while only 1,500 is considered very high.
After short rain showers Friday morning and afternoon, the amount of pollen in the air fell from ‘Extremely High’ at more than 4,000 to ‘High’ at a pollen county of just over 1,000.
At Patriot Motors on Highway 19 north, the cars are covered with coats of the yellow pollen.
“It doesn’t do any good to rinse them off every day because the pollen gets right back on them. Now we just rinse them off before they’re test driven,” said owner Larry Dawson. “The pollen count broke records yesterday and that was on the last day of winter. Today’s just the first day of spring and it’s really bad already.”
According to the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic, pollen from trees, including birch, mulberry, oak and pine is extremely high, with pollen from grasses high and pollen from weeds moderate. The website atlantaallergy.com suggests avoiding outdoor activities until early evening since pollen counts are highest in the morning, keeping car and home windows closed and showering before bed because pollen can get in your hair and on skin.
“Recently there has been an increase in the number of people asking what they can take to help with itchy and watery eyes and sinus congestion,” she said. “Pollen causes sinus issues for a lot of people. We could use a good downpour to wash it all away.”
Some forecasters blame the unseasonably warm weather and few cold snaps for causing plants to bloom weeks early and release the allergy-causing particles. The Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic has measured the amount of pollen in the air since the 1980s. It reported last week’s counts beat record pollen counts set in April 1999. The Atlanta pollen count for the first day of spring, March 20, was nearly 9,400 while only 1,500 is considered very high.
After short rain showers Friday morning and afternoon, the amount of pollen in the air fell from ‘Extremely High’ at more than 4,000 to ‘High’ at a pollen county of just over 1,000.
At Patriot Motors on Highway 19 north, the cars are covered with coats of the yellow pollen.
“It doesn’t do any good to rinse them off every day because the pollen gets right back on them. Now we just rinse them off before they’re test driven,” said owner Larry Dawson. “The pollen count broke records yesterday and that was on the last day of winter. Today’s just the first day of spring and it’s really bad already.”
According to the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic, pollen from trees, including birch, mulberry, oak and pine is extremely high, with pollen from grasses high and pollen from weeds moderate. The website atlantaallergy.com suggests avoiding outdoor activities until early evening since pollen counts are highest in the morning, keeping car and home windows closed and showering before bed because pollen can get in your hair and on skin.
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
