Oak pollen counts skyrocket, welcoming start of allergy season in Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Spring break is here, and so is allergy season.

Over the weekend, Oak pollen counts increased tenfold, from a count of 59 on Friday, March 7, to over 400 on Monday, March 10. And these pollen counts will only go up from here, where tree pollen season could last through late April or early May.

One reason is how mild Houston's climate is, even in the winter, allowing pollen season to begin early and last later into the year.

The region typically lacks several hard freezes needed to allow for plants to go dormant in the wintertime months. That's what puts an end to pollen season elsewhere across the country. However, our partners Climate Central found that, on average, growing seasons across the country have increased by about 20 days with our warming climate. That also means more prolonged exposure to pollens and allergens.

Prior to this, both mold counts and cedar pollen levels were high at times in January and February.

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For the past few weeks it's been cedar fever in Southeast Texas. As ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith explains, an active pattern brought several cold fronts to the region, and it's with those fronts that an influx of cedar pollen arrived from Hill Country.

While mold spores can impact Houstonians year-round, depending on damp conditions, tree, grass, and weed pollens have more specific seasons.

Oak and tree pollen season is typically in the spring, from March through May. Then comes grass in May through the summer months, and weed pollens arrive later in the summer.

So, if you haven't done so already, now is the time to start taking precautions because allergy season has just begun.

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