Richmond pollen surge to bring more weeks of allergy misery
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Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
Don't expect relief from the pollen blanketing Richmond for another few weeks.
Why it matters: While the yellowish stuff is a sign of springtime plant reproduction, it's a literal headache for anyone who suffers from seasonal allergies and asthma.
State of play: Richmond is having a terrible pollen season this year, Richmond Allergy & Asthma Specialists physician Mark Hark told the Henrico Citizen.
- It started later than normal, he said, but when it got here, it "hit with a vengeance."
- Tree pollen is the main driver of allergies this time of year, according to allergy specialists, and the season can run through the end of May.
- Richmond's spring pollen season stretches from mid-February through the end of May, according to Hark's allergy practice.
The good news: Richmonders got a brief reprieve from the constant sneezing and itchy eyes in the middle of last week, thanks to the colder-than-usual temperatures, according to Pollen.com.
The bad news: Trees and plants like warm weather, meteorologist Elissia Wilson told Axios, and the temperature and pollen count are headed back up.
Threat level: Pollen counts are expected to be high all week, per Pollen.com.
- And overall, "it's going to be bad through mid-April," Hark told the Henrico Citizen.
Blame Richmond — or, more specifically, our location and climate — say the allergy specialists.
- We get all the seasons and, therefore, all the allergies.
The big picture: Allergy season is getting longer everywhere.
- Between 1970 and 2025, nearly 90% of cities analyzed by Climate Central saw longer growing seasons.
- And Richmond's pollen season has grown by a whopping 30 days over that 55-year period.
What's next: As tree pollen season winds down, grass pollen season is winding up and runs through summer, followed by ragweed in the fall.
The bottom line: Let's just stay indoors.