Austin, Texas is bracing for another cedar pollen surge as we approach the New Year, with cedar counts escalating to levels that have locals scrambling for their tissue boxes. The wave of sniffles and itchy eyes hit the region following a cold front Monday morning, with a notable spike recorded between midnight and 6 a.m. December 27th. According to reports from KVUE, cedar pollen levels reached over 3,000 grains per cubic meter, but later tapered off to 68 gr/m3.
Amid the sneezes, the area witnessed its first major cedar "spike" of the season, reaching a count of 230 grains per cubic meter earlier Wednesday morning, an increase that sees residents grappling with the onset of "cedar fever," symptoms which include runny nose, nasal congestion and itchy eyes, among others; "Cedar allergy season typically begins in December and extends through February," as confirmed by the Allergy & Asthma Center of Georgetown, cited by KXAN report.
Forecasters at KVUE predict that the prevailing north and west winds will maintain this medium to high pollen concentrations throughout the upcoming week. With the geography of the mountain cedar trees being predominantly in the Hill Country, local meteorologists have hinted that a stronger gust from the northwest could spike levels even higher, despite a break in the near term due to incoming rain which is expected to wash away a significant amount of the airborne allergens over the weekend.
Experts at the Allergy & Asthma Center of Georgetown note that various factors, including past and seasonal rainfall, along with temperature fluctuations, make predicting the severity of cedar allergies a difficult task, nevertheless, the recent gusty winds, which have predominately been out of the south, have exacerbated this season's conditions; considering these factors, forecasters and allergy sufferers alike are hopeful that impending weekends rain will provide some respite by cleansing the air of its pollen-laden assault.
