If you’ve stepped outside the past few days in many parts of the area – and especially nearer the mountains – you’ve seen it.
Cottonwood “fluff” is flying through the air. We are currently in peak pollen season, and the pollen counts across the area are reflecting the sneezing and watery eyes many of you have been suffering.
Tree pollen remains the primary driver of allergies locally, but we are officially entering that “overlap” period as grass pollen season begins to ramp up. It’s a bit of a double whammy for allergy sufferers right now.
So what about that cottonwood fluff? It’s drifting through the air in some spots like a snowstorm, and will soon pile up in gutters and on the side of the road. We see it every year, just at the same time, many allergy sufferers are feeling their worst.
However, there’s a bit of a misconception. A lot of people think they’re allergic to the cottonwood fluff because they can see it.
In reality, it’s generally the stuff you can’t see that’s the problem. Those microscopic grains from all kinds of trees and grasses are the true irritants! The cottonwood fluff is mostly just the highly visible vehicle for their seeds to travel through the air.
If you’re miserable right now, don’t blame the “snow”, but the invisible particles hitching a ride on the breeze, too.
For those of us looking for a break, the weather patterns will be shifting abruptly starting on Wednesday.
We’ve had a dry, warm stretch, which has allowed pollen to circulate freely.
The good news? Rain is on the way starting Wednesday and continuing off and on through Saturday. This will work to wash some of the pollen out of the air. Along with the moisture, we’re looking at much cooler temperatures for the rest of the week, which should keep the pollen count down for a few days.
But the long-range models suggest we’ll warm back up and dry out again by early next week. When the sun returns, the pollen will too!