Forecast

Ragweed pollen and Saharan dust this weekend!

At the start of the week, Burgenland will see a mix of sun and clouds, with temperatures ranging from 25 to 30 degrees. As the week progresses, the sun will increasingly prevail and it will become significantly warmer again. Saharan dust will occasionally slightly obscure the sunshine, making the sky appear hazy. On Saturday, the weather will become more changeable, with a mix of clouds, sunshine and isolated rain showers and thunderstorms, which may provide temporary relief for allergy sufferers. For the rest of the week, there is hardly any rainfall in sight, so allergy sufferers must prepare for persistently high pollen levels. In Burgenland, ragweed is the main culprit, but mugwort can also still cause significant pollen levels locally. In addition, Saharan dust in the ambient air can mechanically irritate the airways and further exacerbate symptoms in allergy sufferers.

We have already come through the first peak of the mugwort pollen season; however, moderate to high levels of pollen are still possible in areas with large stands of the plant.

Ragweed flowering, on the other hand, is now in full swing and is already causing high, and locally very high, pollen levels throughout Burgenland. As a moderate to brisk south-easterly wind is set to pick up over the course of the week, the long-distance transport of ragweed pollen from south-eastern Europe is also to be expected. Consequently, high pollen levels are expected not only in the morning but also in the afternoon and evening.

If you spot ragweed whilst out and about, you can report it via the Ragweed Finder app or at ragweedfinder.at, thereby informing the relevant regional authorities about the presence of this invasive plant.

The grass pollen season is drawing to a close. Significant pollen levels are now only expected in isolated cases, for example near the reed beds around Lake Neusiedl. There, pollen levels may rise again towards the end of the month.

Fungal spores may still cause moderate to severe symptoms.

In addition to the pollen types already mentioned, pollen from stinging nettles, hemp, carnations and cypress trees is currently also present in the pollen spectrum. However, these pose only a very low allergenic risk.