The average for March was 716 grains, more than 500 grains of pollen above the average amount normally seen in March, said Megan Hummel, spokeswoman for SOAQA. The average for March is 258, Hummel said.
Any grain count above 1,000 grains is classified as “very high” by the Air Quality Agency.
The high particles of pollen are directly related to the exceptionally hot weather the area has been experiencing, Hummel said. The Cincinnati region had a record high of 83 degrees Wednesday, one degree higher than the 82 degrees set 105 years ago in 1907, according to Don Hughes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“All the trees are producing pollen much earlier than they usually do because of the warm weather,” Hummel said.
The high pollen has caused an increase in patients for Dr. Masood Ahmad, an allergy doctor at the Allergy and Asthma Specialty Center.
“This time of year isn’t usually too bad for patients,” Ahmad said. “This year we’re seeing more patients with worse allergy symptoms.”
Allergy symptoms include congestion, sneezing, scratchy throats and deep coughs. The high pollen count also is difficult on asthma patients, Ahmad said.
“Sometimes the allergy symptoms get so bad it almost mimics having an asthmatic attack,” Ahmad said.
Ahmad said he cautions patients who have severe allergies to limit the amount of time they spend outdoors. If the allergy sufferer does have to go outside, Ahmed recommends changing clothes and taking a shower after coming back inside. He also recommends over-the-counter antihistamines and nasal sprays as ways to help fight the symptoms.
Pollen count is usually highest between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., Hummel said. She suggested allergy sufferers keep their windows closed and rely on air conditioning to keep cool.
The warm spring was a continuation of the mild weather caused by warm winds off the Pacific Ocean pushing colder air farther north and sending warmer air into the Midwest, Hughes said.
The rains that came Friday night pushed temperature predictions for the weekend into the mid-to-upper 60s, a temperature that is still ten degrees higher than the norm for this time of the year, Hughes said. The rain was bad news for allergy sufferers as it pushed more pollen into the air.
The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency measures the amount of pollen in the air every morning and posts the findings on its website at www.southwestohioair.org.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.
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