Aberdeen’s pollen count on Saturday, May 23 was set to be moderate for tree pollen, low for weed pollen and moderate for grass pollen, as the spring and early-summer allergy season moved into another busy stretch.
The Met Office says pollen season can begin as early as January and stretch as late as November, but the timing shifts by type. Tree pollen tends to arrive first, typically from late March to mid-May. Grass pollen follows from mid-May until July, while weed pollen covers the end of June to September. That means the levels affecting people in Aberdeen on Saturday sat squarely inside the period when pollen can start to climb and symptoms begin to bite.
Kleenex described its local information as a way to see the pollen count in a local area, and said green spaces and parks in Aberdeen can be hotspots for high pollen levels. For people with hay fever, that matters because the condition is also called a pollen allergy. It is usually caused by grass pollen, though other pollens can trigger it too, when the immune system reacts and releases chemicals such as histamine that bring on symptoms.
The NHS says those symptoms are usually worse between late March and September, especially when it is warm, humid and windy. The health service also says this is when the pollen count is at its highest. That puts Saturday’s forecast in the heart of the period when many people already know to expect itchy eyes, sneezing and a runny nose, especially if they spend time outdoors around trees, grass or parks.
For Aberdeen, the forecast was a reminder that pollen levels do not rise in a single straight line. Tree pollen is already in the rear-view mirror for much of the season, grass pollen is now the main driver, and weed pollen is still building later in the summer. The practical result is a long run of exposure that can last for months, not days.
That long season is the part people feel most. A moderate reading may sound manageable, but the NHS says symptoms are often worst right when pollen is most active, and that can make a day outdoors feel very different from the number on a forecast. In a city with green spaces and parks, the next stretch of warm, humid and windy weather is likely to matter as much as the date on the calendar.
