Allergies and pollen in Augusta could be worse this year, an expert says
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Spring can be a tough season for many people as it brings pollen and allergies back in full force.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, more than 100 million Americans live with seasonal allergies; some cities have it worse than others.
A study by the foundation ranked Augusta as the 12th-worst American city for allergies.
Campbell Vaughn, UGA extension agent, thinks Augusta’s stressed trees that made it past Hurricane Helene could be producing more pollen this year.
Pollen season has descended upon us all across the CSRA
Tree pollen counts are expected to be high this week, and grass pollen is rising as the spring solstice is right around the corner.
Augusta lost roughly 10% of its trees from Hurricane Helene this past fall in Richmond county.
It will be tough to get verifiable proof of changes in our pollen count this year and compare to others. Obtaining pollen counts is not as easy as it may seem.
“It’s not something you can put on a weather station. It’s actually a scientist who has to collect the pollen [at] certain times during the day, and then you have to sort through all that,” said Vaughn.
Larger cities like Atlanta usually have a true daily pollen count, but that data doesn’t translate well to Augusta.
“We can’t really go off of what they’re seeing in Atlanta because they really have a different climate than we do. Not very different, but it is a different climate,” said Vaughn.
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Wichita, Kansas, owned the top spot for the third year in a row. New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Memphis rounded out the top five.
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