Forecast

Peak exposure to birch pollen at Easter!

After a rainy and cool start to Holy Week, the weather forecast for the Easter weekend promises a significant improvement in the weather with rising temperatures and much more sunshine. On the one hand, this is great for Easter ice hunting, but on the other hand it also encourages the release of pollen.

At Easter, we can therefore expect a peak in the birch pollen season and very high pollen concentrations in the air. This is because many birch trees are ready to flower at the same time this year and can therefore cause a drastic increase in pollution in a very short space of time.

This pollution is exacerbated by the simultaneous flowering of the hornbeam. It belongs to the same plant family as the birch and can therefore cause additional stress through cross-reactions.

In addition, there is currently also ash pollen in the ambient air. Although the flowering period of this olive tree is already well advanced, low to moderate exposure is still possible at the weekend.

Allergy sufferers should also refrain from bringing flowering forsythia branches into the living room for decorative purposes in order to keep it as pollen-free as possible. The same applies to the palm catkins that can currently be seen in many places. palm catkinswhich are the flowers of the sal willow. Although their pollen is only classed as moderately allergenic, it is still recommended that these branches are not placed in living spaces in order to avoid additional exposure.

In addition to the pollen types mentioned above, maple, yew, poplar, sour grasses and cypress plants are also represented in the pollen spectrum. However, they only have a very low allergenic potential.

Despite the expected stress, the Austrian Pollen Information team wishes you a happy Easter and a relaxing holiday!