Pollen is back, but why does it seem so bad this year?
BOSTON - While the sun and warm temperatures are finally here, so is the pollen.
So why does this year seem so bad?
After a week of damp, cooler than normal weather, the recent spring sunshine and milder weather encouraged a lot more people to get outside, but it also helped trees and flowers burst open.
As for that yellow film on your car, that's pine pollen but it's not the kind of pollen that causes your allergies to spike.
Pine pollen is too big and heavy to get into your nose. It's massive compared to other tree pollens like birch and fir. The smaller the size of the pollen, the easier it can float in the air and more likely to agitate your allergies.
Right now, tree pollen is running high and grass pollen is starting to increase.
Tree pollen typically lasts through June, while grass pollen peaks in the spring and lasts through the summer, followed by ragweed and other weed pollens taking over in the late summer and fall.
Pollen levels can vary throughout the season depending on the weather - high on breezy and dry days and lower on rainy ones. With an extended period of dry weather, we can expect pollen levels to remain high through much of the week.
