HOUSTON – Have you noticed your eyes being itchy lately? Scratchy throat? Runny nose? Constant sneezing? If so, you are likely dealing with our high pollen count!
It is very typical for Houston to have high pollen in late-February to early-March. This is a time when we still have cedar pollen coming in from the hill country.
Tuesday’s pollen count:
Tree pollen is high. Our highest count comes from birch, cedar, ash and oak trees. We are also seeing some pollen from hackberry, mulberry, pine, cottonwood, willow and elm trees.
As of this morning, grass pollen is also high. Weed pollen and mold spores are in the moderate category.
Our pollen will get worse this week:
This is not the news anybody wants to hear, but our pollen will get worse this week with the cold front moving through.
Check out Chief Meteorologist Frank Billingsley’s 100-year-old water oak tree in the front yard. The oak tree is full of catkins (flowering clusters of pollen) but so far not many have fallen off the tree.
The cold front we have been tracking all week will move through tomorrow morning and the breezy conditions will knock these catkins off. This will increase our pollen.
What can you do?
Although our pollen forecast is bleak, there are things you can do to make it more comfortable.
Take your allergy medication daily. When you come inside, change your clothes and shower off any pollen. Keep your dog bathed - even hypoallergenic dogs can carry pollen on their fur.
Believe it or not, our pollen is actually less right now compared to last year!