After a long and frosty winter, pollen levels are expected to rise in northern and eastern Germany starting next week. With the frost period coming to an end over the weekend, hazel trees will begin to bloom even in the regions that have so far remained icy, the German Pollen Information Service Foundation announced early Thursday in Berlin.
According to experts, hazel pollen will be in the air across the entire country, although the heavy rains currently forecast should “prevent anything more severe” for the time being. The German Weather Service predicts that from Tuesday onward, the north and east will see increasingly sunny and dry conditions.
As per the Pollen Information Service said, this will mean “widespread, especially in central areas and further north, as well as in the south and southeast, ‘plenty of pollen’.” For allergy sufferers, this will result in significant levels of exposure. The alder bloom, however, is not expected to reach all parts of the country until the middle of next week. It is already underway in the south, southwest and west, where it will continue to intensify.
Because of the long frost phase, accompanied by heavy snowfall, the north and northeast have so far been largely spared from pollen, a welcome relief for those with hay fever. In the milder west, south and southwest, hazel and alder pollen have already been present for some time.
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