Poor allergy sufferers!

Pollen season starts particularly early this year

The pollen season has started early

(Bild: LianeM - stock.adobe.com)

The pollen is flying again - and allergy sufferers are feeling the pinch. After alder and hazel, birch will start to bloom in the second half of March according to current model calculations. The good news is that this year's season is likely to be milder. 

Last winter was one of the warmest and driest on record - with only about half the usual precipitation. This influenced the start of the plant bloom: the first concentrations of hazel and alder pollen were measured in eastern Austria as early as mid-January. The changeable February weather meant that the season was slow to pick up speed.

However, with the bright high-pressure weather in the first week of March, there was a sharp rise in pollen concentrations - and thus the first peak in pollution. Lukas Dirr from the Austrian Pollen Information Service (ÖPID) explains: "The abrupt increase in the amount of pollen was perceived as particularly stressful by allergy sufferers. It is not just the amount of pollen that determines the intensity of the symptoms, but also how quickly the pollen count starts." Air quality also plays a decisive role: "Pollutants, especially ozone, can increase the allergenicity of pollen and the symptoms it causes."

Allergy season reaches its peak in Salzburg in mid-April
Allergic exposure to hazel and alder pollen can still be expected until the end of March or beginning of April. Ash trees reach their peak between mid-March and mid-April. Birch, a main trigger of allergic diseases in northern and central Europe, generally follows a two-year rhythm. "Years with high and low pollen levels alternate. 2024 was classified as an above-average year, which is why allergy sufferers can hope for a less intense season throughout Austria this year," warns Dirr. In eastern Austria, relevant pollen counts can be expected between mid-March and the end of April, which will probably peak at the beginning of April. In western Austria, the birch season will probably extend from mid-March to mid-May and peak around mid-April, slightly later than in the east.