The birch blooms particularly early this year and from the Easter weekend onwards a lot of birch pollen ends up in the air, Weeronline warns in a message for hay fever patients. The peak period of the birch pollen season lasts until mid-April.
“After a record warm February and most likely also a record warm March, nature opens up much earlier than normal in the spring. The first birches also blossomed in mid-March. More and more birch trees are blossoming this week and the peak period of the birch pollen season will begin during the Easter weekend. This means that the birches are blooming en masse and the risk of hay fever complaints during dry periods is high,” says Jaco van Wezel of Weeronline.
Soft and changeable Easter weekend
The Easter weekend is mild with maximum temperatures of 13 to 18 degrees. This makes it considerably softer than normal (12 degrees). “With plenty of moisture in the soil, these are ideal conditions for the birch trees to bloom. The air will regularly be washed clean by rain this weekend, but if it is dry for a few hours in a row, the concentration of birch pollen in the air can quickly increase significantly,” says Van Wezel.
The birch causes complaints in about a million Dutch people. The ash tree, which spreads moderately allergenic pollen, can also cause hay fever complaints during this period.
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After Easter, the massive flowering of the birches continues. Because rain falls regularly, the air is washed clean and the nuisance is not as great as if it were dry for a whole week. The birches are expected to have finished blooming by mid-April.
(The Telegraph)
