Forecast

Ragweed and Saharan dust!

At the start of the week, most of Austria will see sunshine, at least at times; however, Saharan dust may cause the air to appear hazy at times. As the week progresses, high-pressure conditions will prevail, and temperatures will rise significantly as warm air masses move in. It is not until Friday that clouds will roll in from the west, and during the afternoon and evening, heavy rain showers and thunderstorms are expected in places, which may provide temporary relief for allergy sufferers. For the rest of the week, there is hardly any rainfall in sight, meaning allergy sufferers must brace themselves for persistently high levels of pollen. The main culprits are the two composite flowers, mugwort and ragweed, as well as the still-elevated levels of fungal spores. In addition, the Saharan dust expected over the coming days may cause further mechanical irritation to the airways of allergy sufferers.

We are in the middle of the herb pollen season and are currently seeing a mixed picture across Austria. Whilst mugwort flowering is still in full swing in the west of the country, resulting in moderate to high pollen concentrations in the ambient air, it is already well advanced in eastern Austria and is now only causing significant pollen dispersal locally in areas with dense stands.

In eastern Austria, however, ragweed is already causing significant levels of pollen pollution. As local stands are now in bloom, high to very high concentrations may occur, particularly in the early morning. As strong south-easterly winds are expected in the coming days, long-distance transport of ragweed pollen from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe is also anticipated, which may increase pollen levels in the afternoon and evening as well. As ragweed and mugwort both belong to the Asteraceae family, cross-reactions are possible.

If you spot ragweed populations 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.

Grass pollen now plays only a minor role in Austria. An increase in pollen levels is usually only expected in towns and cities due to the flowering of ornamental grasses, as well as near large reed beds, such as those around Lake Neusiedl. However, pollen from foxtail grasses and plantain can still be found in the air and may further exacerbate symptoms for allergy sufferers.

Fungal spore levels remain at moderate to high levels.

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