A recent article published in "The Conversation" suggests climate change is extending the pollen season in B.C. and across Canada.
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August 23, 2019 - 6:30 AM
If you suffer from pollen allergies and feel like you’re sneezing and sniffling more days of the year, it could be because of climate change.
According to a story in The Conversation, climate change is altering flowering seasons and in turn creating long pollen seasons.
The Conversation says dates for start and end of pollen seasons are no longer valid because the seasons are now starting earlier and ending later.
Pollen season for weeds, trees and grasses have different start and end dates with most pollen sources beginning their season in spring. Weeds and other vegetation may blossom late in the summer, however, causing discomfort for those prone to pollen allergies well into September.
Plant flowering is dependent upon environmental factors such as humidity or minimum temperature, so the task of pinpointing a start date for pollen seasons is now even tougher with climate change factored in, along with multiple pollen seasons.
Ragweed is a particularly highly allergenic weed that produces pollen this time of year. It’s not a big problem in the Thompson and Okanagan, but other local sources can be, such as sagebrush and wormwood.
Pollen forecasts for Kamloops and the Okanagan (Kelowna) are available on The Weather Network’s website.
The forecast for both cities over the next few day is for low pollen count through Saturday.
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