UK faces hay fever distress as purple warning might deliver 10m Brits to tears
Hay fever sufferers are in for a tough month, as scientists warn the UK will be hit with “very high” pollen levels throughout June.
Swathes of Brits could experience runny noses and itchy eyes from the level red alerts that are triggered by high temperatures and less rainfall. This weekend, a pollen bomb is slated to hit the Midlands and south of England, as it could reach a balmy 18C. The north, Scotland, and Northern Island will see levels ranging from medium to low.
The Met Office predicts almost 10 million people in England alone are affected by hay fever, with numbers expected to keep rising.
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Dr Beverley Adams-Groom, who advises the Met Office on pollen levels, says the spike can be attributed to the fact that “most grasses are coming into flower”.
(Image: Met Office)
The UK’s leading pollen scientist warns this weekend will be the first of many “high” levels. This is usually measured at 50 pollen grains per cubic meter of air but could triple to 150.
“We have at least three weeks ahead when we expect to see high and very high counts across much of the country with temperatures of around 18-19C predicted,” Dr Adams-Groom told the Daily Express. “We have passed the main tree pollen season which runs from January to May but dry weather for the next few weeks will help all the grasses with pollen dispersal as we reach the peak of that season.”
Forecasts from the Met Office also show elevated pollen levels across the UK for the next week, with the southeast likely to experience “very high” pollen levels on Sunday.
Explaining the different types of pollen expected this summer, the Met Office wrote in their forecast: “Grass pollen will rise in warm, dry weather. Nettle, dock and plantain too. Spores: A little Alternaria and medium Cladosporium when warm; Leptosphaeria after rain.”
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