UK pollen levels map, latest weather forecast and hay fever season explained (2024)

If you have been sneezing more than usual then you might be experiencing allergies.

While many people associate hay fever with the summer months, in reality pollen rates can increase as early as March.

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is hay fever?

The Met Office says: “Hay fever is the most common name for pollen allergy and is most commonly caused by grass pollens, although other pollens can also trigger the symptoms. The symptoms are caused when immune system reacts to pollen in the body to produce histamine and other chemicals.

“Around two in every ten people have this allergy and it is thought that more than 10 million people in Britain suffer with hay fever. You are more likely to suffer from hay fever if you have a family history of allergies, or if you suffer from asthma or eczema. Most people develop hay fever in childhood or when they are a teenager, although it can be triggered at any age. Many people find, however, that they grow out of the condition and suffer less from the symptoms of hay fever as an adult.”

What is the pollen forecast?

For much of England and Wales the pollen count will stay high until Sunday.

Scotland’s pollen count will be low for most of the week, although Strathclyde area will see moderate rates on Good Friday and Saturday.

The North East will have moderate and low rates until Monday, and Northern Ireland has low levels that will irise slightly on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Tree pollen currently includes elm, ash, oak, plane and birch, and there are pleospora spores too.

What are the symptoms of hay fever?

Symptoms of hayfever are similar to Covid, so it can be hard to tell the difference.

The main difference is that hay fever does not cause a high temperature.

Symptoms of hay fever include:

• sneezing and coughing
• a runny or blocked nose
• itchy, red or watery eyes
• itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
• loss of smell
• pain around your temples and forehead
• headache
• earache
• feeling tired

If you have asthma, you might also:

• have a tight feeling in your chest
• be short of breath
• wheeze and cough

When is hay fever season?

Most people associate hay fever with the summer but actually the season lasts from March through to September, as different types of pollen are produced at different times of year.

The Met Office says: “Tree pollen occurs first, typically from late March to mid-May, and affects around 25 per cent of people. Most people are allergic to grass pollen (which actually has two peaks) and the season lasts from mid-May until July. Weed pollen can be released at any time but the season typically covers the end of June to September.

“However, dependent upon where you live in the UK, the hay fever season will start at different times. For example, there’s a later start and shorter season in the north of the UK, where generally there is less pollen. Urban areas have lower counts than the countryside, and places inland have higher counts than around the coast.

“If we look at grass pollen, the peak across England and Wales, for example, usually starts in the first two weeks of June. There are two peaks though, with the second, lower peak occurring in the first two weeks of July, after which things tail off slowly.”

The recent wet weather could also affect pollen levels: “Spring rainfall is also key, as a dry season reduces the amount of pollen production. Regardless of the weather, pollen is also dependent on how hardy different species are and how well they cope with a mixture of different types in one region.”

How can I treat hay fever?

There’s currently no cure for hay fever and you cannot prevent it.

But you can do things to ease your symptoms when the pollen count is high.

• put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen
• wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen from getting into your eyes
• shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off
• stay indoors whenever possible
• keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
• vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth
• buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter