Why is the pollen coming so early this year?

Hay fever sufferers will probably have noticed an itchy nose, because it’s that time again: the pollen season is starting. This year, the pollen is on its way in this country particularly early. The reason for this lies in the climate.

It is unusual for allergy sufferers to feel the first symptoms of their hay fever only a few days after New Year’s – this year many of those affected probably thought they had just caught a cold.

The hazel, which is already in bloom, is the cause of the runny nose and red eyes. As pollenundallergie.ch writes in a statement, the first hazel pollen was discovered north of the Alps on December 28, 2022.

This is directly attributable to the exceptionally warm December weather and the warm air front from the west. “The hazel has flowered about 20-30 days earlier this year than the average over the 30-year period 1991-2020,” the statement continues. The hazel takes relatively little pleasure: it blooms with a little sun and temperatures above 5 degrees.

Regula Gehrig, the climate expert at Meteo Switzerland, says about the hazel: “The hazel flowers much longer now than it used to. Their season often starts in January, while it used to only start in February. However, the end of the hazel blossom has not changed.” The same goes for grass pollen. It is different with the trees – here it is not the duration that has changed, but the time. Flowering starts earlier today and ends earlier.

In recent years there have been two long-term studies examining pollen levels in Switzerland. The expert sums up the result as follows: “In general it can be said that the tree pollen levels have increased significantly in both studies. The development of grass pollen differs per measuring station: there are stations where the load has decreased, while it has increased at other stations. For grass pollen, the use of the environment around the pollen trap plays a major role.” If an area is more heavily built-up, the concentration has decreased – and agricultural use also makes a difference.

Looking into the past does not necessarily help predict the future. As Bettina Ravazzolo of the AHA Allergy Center Switzerland explains to Watson, “The strength of the pollen load always depends on the weather.” But what you do know for sure: “The birch – which has a fertilizer year every two years – will probably release less pollen this year.” Mast years are the years in which a plant produces a lot of flowers – in the case of the birch, 2022 was such a mast year.

So far, this pollen year has been exceptional, says Ravazzolo: “At higher altitudes, the pollen count usually starts later due to the lower temperatures. However, the Davos measuring station, for example, reported a pollen load at the beginning of this year.” The reason: The wind was so strong that even allergy sufferers in the mountains felt something.

“In warm, sunny weather, the plants produce more pollen – when it rains, on the other hand, this is washed out of the air,” explains the allergy expert.

If you want to know where which type of pollen is flying around, you can view the current measurement values ​​here.

Bettina Ravazzolo emphasizes the importance of constant treatment of symptoms: “Otherwise there is a risk of switching floors. Hay fever is a chronic inflammation – if left untreated, it can penetrate the lungs and lead to allergic asthma.”

The symptoms can be treated topically with nasal spray, eye drops and nasal wash or with antihistamine tablets. The expert also advises washing your hair every day and taking off and storing your clothes outside the bedroom.

A prophylactic measure may also include installing a pollen protection grille on the window or wearing sunglasses and a surgical protective mask outdoors. (ann)