Strong Winds Push Houston’s Oak Pollen to Highest March Levels Since 2013

There's a reason why your allergies are worse than usual - the number of oak pollen particles in Houston has hit a record high of 7,958 per cubic meter. This is the highest March level since records began in 2013.

Strong winds over the last two days spread pollen all over the area, which caused the wave. To give you an idea, there are about 8,000 pollen particles in every washing machine-sized amount of air in the city. The city measured 10,704 particles per cubic meter in April 2022, which was the highest number ever reported. This peak comes after that.

The weather is a big part of how much dust there is. Usually, the highest level of oak pollen in Houston is just under 4,000 particles per cubic meter. However, this March's dry and windy weather has let levels rise without any limits. To date, it has only rained 0.64 inches this month, which is not enough to wash away the pollen.

Oak pollen usually stays around until April, but future cold fronts could bring more spikes and pollen from other places to Houston. People with allergies should be careful, like staying inside during pollen-heavy times and using air filters to lower their exposure.

Houstonians can get real-time reports on pollen counts from their local health departments and get ready for more days with a lot of pollen.