Spring has arrived and many of you have enjoyed the sun and all that North Carolina spring has to offer.
Laura Ingalls Wilder once said, “Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.”
Those “old-fashioned” features of spring may need some tweaking for us North Carolina, because if there’s one thing for sure about spring, it’s pollen.
According to Dr. Robert Bardon, professor of forestry and ecological resources at NC State University, pollen is necessary for the production of pine nuts that grow into pine trees.
The pine pollen season reminds us of the importance of the pine tree to our state, that it supports forestry, which has a $ 32.8 billion dollar impact on the North Carolina economy.
Bardon also said the general pine pollen season can last for weeks. The amount of pine pollen in the atmosphere is usually highest in the early morning on warm, dry, windy days and lowest during cold, wet periods.
Contributing factors for the pollen season
Climate Central, an independent organization of leading scientists and journalists who research and report the facts about our changing climate, shows that our average daily spring temperature has risen by more than 3 degrees since 1970.
While that may not seem like too much of an impact, the rise in our daily average temperature can extend the growing season, which in turn extends the length of our pollen season. You may notice that a small change in one aspect of our climate, such as temperature, can have a wave effect over an entire season, if not over a longer period of time.
Climate Central also pointed out that the effects of climate change on seasonal allergies not only change but amplify the start time or the length of the pollen season.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere directly affects pollen concentrations as it can stimulate plant growth. Many people experience allergies as a minor inconvenience, but seasonal allergies can have serious consequences and a reduced quality of life for people with respiratory problems such as asthma. With a longer pollen season and high pollen concentrations, asthma and allergy reactions can become even more severe.
So what can we expect?
If we look at the weather forecast for the next five days, we see that our temperatures will remain above normal with dry conditions until at least Friday afternoon. This means that our pollen levels will remain high, so keep that in mind if your health is affected by tree pollen.
Fortunately, scattered rain will come back this weekend, and that will knock some of this pollen out of the air as well as the trees.
WRAL’s team of meteorologists are dedicated to learning more about our changing climate and its impact on our North Carolina weather.
As always, WRAL is the station to head to for the latest pollen levels this spring and when bad weather can affect your plans.
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