Sneezing? Spluttering? It’s not just you. Hay fever season is well and truly in session.

Melbourne’s allergy forecast is high to extreme for the next three days.

That’s according to Melbourne Pollen Count and Forecast, a free website and app from the University of Melbourne’s School of Biosciences, which forecasts the level of
grass pollen – and several other types of pollen – in the air across the state.

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A “high” rating means the number of grass pollen grains per cubic metre of air is between 50 and 99, while an “extreme” rating means there are upwards of 100.

The forecast is high for today and tomorrow – and extreme for Wednesday – with the resource saying grass-sensitive people will experience symptoms at high levels.

“The recent wet weather and cooler temperatures have kept the grass pollen count relatively low through October,” University of Melbourne associate professor Ed Newbigin, of Melbourne Pollen, tells Broadsheet. “But this week, we’re seeing the start of some warmer weather and that will bring more grass pollen into the city from the surrounding pasture lands.”

People who experience hay fever – especially through coughing and wheezing – may also be at increased risk of epidemic thunderstorm asthma, a dangerous phenomenon which Melbourne is considered the world capital of.

While the thunderstorm asthma risk remains low for now, “[It’s] caused by the combination of a high pollen count day and a thunderstorm that has high wind and moisture,” Marg Gordon, a registered nurse and asthma and respiratory educator at the National Asthma Council Australia, told Broadsheet last year.

“In Melbourne, most of our weather comes from the west. The storm winds sweep the pollen up into the atmosphere, where they’re saturated by the moisture in the storm, which ruptures them into tiny particles.

“The winds ahead of the storm (called outflow) then bring these tiny pollen particles down to ground level, where they can be inhaled by people and get right down into their airways. If that person has asthma or allergies (even if undiagnosed), they can develop symptoms.”

Download the Melbourne Pollen app online. Consult Vic Health for more information on hay fever and thunderstorm asthma.

melbournepollen.com.au