Forecast

Ragweed is in bloom and causing allergy problems!

There may be some rain in Vienna on Monday evening. Following rainfall, fungi release more spores, which can lead to short-term spikes in pollen levels. For the rest of the week, it will remain mainly sunny and dry. These are ideal conditions for pollen dispersal, which means high pollen levels for allergy sufferers. The two composite flowers, mugwort and ragweed, are primarily responsible for this.

Ragweed pollen is now being detected regularly at our Vienna monitoring station, with concentrations ranging from moderate to high. Ragweed releases its pollen mainly in 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.

If you spot ragweed during outdoor activities, 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. However, given the later flowering of other mugwort species, this is still quite possible as the season progresses.

The grass pollen season is drawing to a close and now only causes occasional, low levels of pollution in the ambient air. 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 mix. However, these pose only a very low allergenic risk.