‘Pollen bomb’ hits hay fever sufferers on hottest day of the year
Plenty of water is the key to staying cool and hydrated, as this visitor to central London shows - Kin Cheung/ AP
A “pollen bomb” brought on by humidity and high temperatures is plaguing hayfever sufferers after the UK recorded the hottest day of the year on Wednesday.
The Met Office pollen forecast shows very high pollen levels across England on Thursday, with levels rising across the country into the weekend.
The “pollen bomb”, an informal term for a sudden spike in levels, will cause significant symptoms in hay fever sufferers.
Nearly half of British people have some kind of hay fever, according to Allergy UK, with grass pollen the most likely to cause a reaction.
Swimmers keep cool in Park Road outdoor Lido at Crouch End, north London - NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Grass pollen is the most common type of irritant during the summer months as it rises as a result of warm, dry weather.
Wednesday was the hottest day of the year so far, the Met Office said, with a high of 30.3C recorded at Heathrow airport, but conditions are expected to cool into the weekend and next week.
The previous hottest day of the year was Tuesday, which saw a high of 30C recorded in Chertsey in Surrey.
“A cold front will sweep down from the northwest to the southeast over the next 24 hours, bringing with it cooler air and an end of the very warm weather many have been experiencing in recent days,” said Paul Gundersen, a chief meteorologist at the Met Office.
Campers arrived well equipped to quench their thirst at Glastonbury - Getty Images Europe
Experts including the UK Health Security Agency have warned that climate change could be making the hay fever season start earlier and last longer, and potentially make pollen concentrations higher.
They have also said the potency of each pollen particle could change, with more amounts of the agents that cause allergic reactions.
Warmer spring temperatures also mean that the seasons for tree and grass pollen, the two main types, will increasingly overlap, increasing the impact on hay fever sufferers.
The spread of the invasive species ragweed is also exacerbating the impacts of hay fever, as a single plant can produce a billion grains of pollen every season.
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