Forecast

Mugwort and ragweed are causing high pollen counts!

The second half of the week will bring changeable conditions to Burgenland: a hot and thundery Thursday will be followed by an unsettled Friday with showers and isolated thunderstorms at 25 to 30 degrees, before Saturday brings consistently dry and at times sunny weather. Sunday will then be mostly sunny and warm, with high summer temperatures of 27 to 31 degrees. For allergy sufferers, this means initial relief thanks to the rainfall, followed by a rapid rise in pollen levels from Saturday onwards.

The first peak of the mugwort pollen season has already passed; concentrations have fallen to moderate levels across the board. From Saturday, with dry and sunny weather, a rise to moderate to locally high levels is expected again, particularly in areas with large mugwort populations.

Local ragweed populations in Burgenland are already releasing pollen. As the wind is not expected to blow predominantly from the east or south-east in the coming days, long-distance transport from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe will not be a factor for the time being. Pollen levels may nevertheless be high near flowering populations, whilst across the region as a whole they are likely to remain only moderate. People with an artemisia allergy should be aware that cross-reactions with ragweed pollen are possible.

If you come across ragweed populations whilst out and about, you can report the plant via the Ragweed Finder app or at ragweedfinder.at, thereby informing the relevant authorities in the federal states about the presence of this invasive plant.

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

However, pollen from foxtail grasses and plantain can still be found in the air and may further exacerbate symptoms for allergy sufferers.

The changeable weather is conducive to the release of fungal spores, which can also cause severe symptoms.

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