With temperatures near 80 degrees on Tuesday, the ragweed count was 14 on a point scale of 10-49, which is considered moderate, Hustable said. By comparison, the ragweed pollen count was in the low single-digits most of last week, when temperatures barely reached into the 70s with spotty rain showers.
“Rain tends to filter the atmosphere and keep pollen levels down,” Huxtable said. “We won’t have that this week, so it (pollen levels) might pop up again. But we’re at the tail end of the ragweed season now, so it won’t be anything like Labor Day weekend when pollen counts were 120, 114.”
The ragweed season generally peaks around Labor Day and dissipates into the fall until the first hard frost eliminates most pollens.
But pollen isn’t the only cause of cause of itchy eyes, sneezing, and runny noses at this time of year, according to StormCenter7 meteorologist Carrieann Merritt.
“Two of our main culprits for allergy sufferers this time of year are mold spores and weed pollen, primarily ragweed,” Merritt said. “Mold spores are still high now thanks, in part, to the rain we saw last week. (But) we are going to keep a dry and quiet weather pattern around though for the better part of the workweek, which will help cut those down substantially in the coming days.”
Still, weather fluctuations will keep allergy sufferers on a bit of a roller-coaster ride, Merritt added: “On the flip side of this, a breeze will pick up at times throughout the week, which helps to transport ragweed and other pollens through the air. Those who are sensitive to ragweed will start to feel its affects more late week.”
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