GREENSBORO, N.C. — It may still be winter, but the trees are waking up. Pollen levels are already high in the Triad area, and that may be making you sneeze a little earlier than you thought you would this year.
According to the Forsyth County of Environmental Assistance and Protection, levels of tree pollen were "high" in the area on Tuesday, February 13th. That level may be causing your eyes to water or your nose to stuff up. You can always find the daily pollen report here.
The type of trees most active right now are cedar/juniper trees, making up 64% of the pollen in the air. Next up, elm trees with about 29% of the pollen right now.
Is it too early for pollen?
February be early, but it can often be the start of allergy season here in the Carolinas. By this time of year, the sun is getting higher in the sky and the days are getting longer. That starts to bring trees out of their winter dormancy and they can begin to produce pollen.
The weather can certainly play a role. Warmer winters and lack of cold air can cause trees to bud out earlier than usual. 2023 saw some of the earliest pollen levels on record, for example, given a very warm start to the calendar year.
"This winter has been slightly warmer than average so far," says WFMY News 2 Chief Meteorologist Tim Buckley. "We're running about 2 degrees above average for the season and we really haven't had many cold nights. That could be why trees are already producing so much pollen"
The graphic below displays the typical timeline for our allergy season. Tree pollen usually begins in late February and really picks up through March and April. We don't get rid of it until May. Summer season sees more grass and weed pollen instead of tree pollen.
What's the pollen forecast?
The thing about pollen season is that once it starts, it doesn't end for a long time. We can expect high levels of pollen on most "nice days" through the spring months.
A general rule of thumb is the nicer the weather, the worse the pollen will be. Sunshine, warmth, and breezy weather bring the most pollen into the air. Cooler, wet days have the least amount of pollen.
Here's the pollen forecast for the end of the week.
