Forecast

Grasses and fungal spores continue to cause problems!

On Thursday, the last patches of cloud – which have also brought some rain – will clear, and the sun will come out more frequently again. As the week progresses, it will get increasingly warmer and remain mostly dry. Only in Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg are thunderstorms and showers possible.

Allergy sufferers should therefore continue to expect high levels of grass pollen and fungal spores in the coming days.

The pollen grains of grasses remain the main cause of allergic symptoms. The main flowering of grasses has now shifted from open green spaces to forests and areas near river courses. Although the peak of the grass pollen season has already passed, moderate to high levels of pollen are still possible in these areas.

In some regions of the country, maize fields have already begun to flower. Maize is a type of sweet grass and can therefore cause symptoms. However, maize pollen grains are very large and, like the pollen of other cereal crops, cannot be carried very far by the wind. They therefore cause significant concentrations in the air, particularly in the immediate vicinity of the fields.

Along paths and roadsides, additional pollen levels from sorrel, goosefoot plants and plantain are to be expected.

In locations with particularly favourable climatic conditions, the first flowering specimens of mugwort have already been spotted. This marks the start of the herb pollen season locally. It will probably take until the end of July for the plants to flower across the board. Locally, however, low levels of allergic exposure may already be occurring.

In addition to grasses, fungal spores are now also causing moderate to high levels of exposure in the ambient air. Particularly after rainfall, people who are sensitised to fungal spores should expect high levels of exposure. 

In addition to the pollen types already mentioned, pollen from bee balm, nettle family plants, sweet chestnut, privet, rhododendron, sour grasses, legumes, grapevines and cypress family plants is currently also present in the pollen spectrum. However, these pose only a very low allergenic risk.