Forecast

Ragweed is currently the main allergen!

Over the coming days, the weather in the capital will remain cloudy and dry. These are ideal conditions for pollen dispersal, which means a period of intense symptoms for allergy sufferers. The two composite flowers, mugwort and ragweed, are primarily responsible for this. There is expected to be some rain on Saturday morning. Depending on how heavy this rainfall is, it may provide some short-term relief for people with pollen allergies. However, after rainfall, fungi release their spores more readily, which can lead to short-term spikes in pollen levels.

At our Vienna monitoring station, ragweed pollen is now being detected regularly, reaching moderate to high concentrations. Ragweed releases its pollen mainly during the morning hours, when pollen levels are at their highest. Over the coming days, westerly winds will prevail, meaning that hardly any additional ragweed pollen is expected to be carried in from neighbouring countries to the east. Next Monday, the wind is forecast to shift to the east, intensifying local ragweed pollen levels. 

If you spot ragweed whilst out and about, you can report the plant via the Ragweed Finder app or at ragweedfinder.at, thereby informing the relevant authorities in the federal states about the presence of this invasive plant.

In Vienna, the first peak in mugwort pollen levels this year was reached slightly earlier than usual. Since then, only low to moderate concentrations have generally been recorded. Annual ragweed and Katshka ragweed reach their peak flowering in September and may cause a renewed rise in pollen levels.

The grass pollen season is drawing to a close and now only causes low levels of pollution in the ambient air in isolated cases. This is often due to ornamental grasses or reeds.

However, pollen from foxtail grasses and plantain can still be found in the air and may further exacerbate symptoms for allergy sufferers.

Concentrations of fungal spores will fluctuate between moderate and high levels over the coming days.

In addition to the pollen types already mentioned, pollen from stinging nettles, hemp, carnations and cypresses is also currently present in the pollen spectrum. However, these pose only a very low allergenic risk.