A strong surge of marine air brought relief to those affected by the pollen

Over the past weeks, I have received a number of emails from people who are allergic to pollen.

They ask when will suffering end?

Early spring is a time of pollen bloom, and the recent warm weather has brought great value and considerable suffering to susceptible people.

As shown in Seattle pollen levels over the past 30 days (below, from pollen.com), values ​​over the past few days have been high (red).

The surge began in late March, with many ups and downs. Increases during warm periods, decreases during cooler periods with onshore marine air flow.

Compare Seattle’s pollen levels with pollen levels in Wenatchee, east of the Cascades in the Columbia Basin (below). Much more consistent highs, with a big drop on April 4. A big drop that day in Seattle.

What happened on April 4? A major cooldown on both sides of the Cascades, illustrated by temperatures in Wenatchee this month (below).

The cooling is associated with a strong front that moved through the area during the previous day (see map below, blue line represents front).

And the same thing happened as I wrote this on Saturday night.

A very strong front is currently moving through the area, bringing cooler air and strong winds into the area. His afternoon satellite image at 4 p.m. was dramatic, with a clear frontal band cutting across western Washington and swirling clouds with an offshore low-pressure center clearly visible.

Wind gusts this afternoon and early evening have increased to 20-50 mph (see below). Tens of thousands of people lost power in western Washington due to strong winds combined with newly leafed trees.

Expect much lower pollen levels on Sunday and Monday.

And yes, the Seattle Times had an article last month saying the pollen problem here will get worse under global warming:

I will address the issues with these statements in a future blog.