If you've been sneezing this week, blame Mother Nature.
Cedar, elm and alder trees have produced an early spray of lung-clogging pollen -- and this kind of flora frolicking in February doesn't bode well for those with allergies.
The pollen count is below the numbers typical for spring but well above the norm for this time of year. The count climbed into the "high" range last week and continued rising this week, reaching 742 Wednesday before settling back to 607 Thursday and 432 Friday, according to the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic. Readings above 90 are considered "high."
Last February, there were no "high" days, defined as 90 to 1,499 pollen particles per cubic meter. There were seven in February 2009, but the highest one-day count that month was 386 -- just over half of Wednesday's number.
"In the 18 years I've been in Atlanta, I've never seen a pollen count this high this early," said Dr. Kevin Schaffer, an allergist with the clinic. He said the hearty tree bloom could make life worse later this year for allergy sufferers.
Blame this winter's unusually low temperatures and the recent stretch of spring-like weather.
Trees went dormant during the long, snowy winter, saving their pollen for better days. Then, during the past week when temperatures rose, they yawned and stretched -- and went nuts with their pollen.
"The trees are now waking up, thinking that it's spring time," said Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley.
We may get more cool weather in coming weeks, but Chandley said any cold snaps would only stall the inevitable release of more pollen. Rain forecast for Friday could clear the air, but it would only be a temporary relief.
When the real flowering season hits in late March and April, this early burst of tree love could result in worse symptoms for allergy sufferers, thanks to the body's immune response.
All that pollen can cause a "priming" of the body's defenses, said Schaffer, the allergist. That is bad news for those who also have allergies to the real pollen menaces of Atlanta: the oak, hickory and pecan trees that bloom in spring and can send pollen counts soaring into the thousands.
"If what we're seeing now is any indication of what's going to happen when oak hits," said Schaffer, "we're in for some trouble."
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