The Met Office has issued a hay fever alert as grass and weed pollen counts are forecast to escalate dramatically across the UK over the coming days. The five-day outlook, shared on social media, warns that several major cities will be plunged into the 'very high' category by Friday, prompting officials to advise sufferers to stock up on antihistamines.
City-by-City Breakdown
According to the Met Office's pollen forecast, London and Exeter face the most severe conditions, both rated 'very high' for grass and weed pollen on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday without respite. Leeds starts the week at 'high' but tips into 'very high' by Thursday and remains there into Friday. Edinburgh follows a similar pattern, climbing from 'high' on Wednesday and Thursday to 'very high' by Friday. Belfast is the only city on the forecaster's list to escape the very high category entirely, holding at 'high' throughout the three days.
The Met Office rates pollen on a scale from low through moderate and high up to very high, with the latter representing the most severe end of the scale where symptoms become almost unavoidable for sensitised individuals.
Why It Matters
Hay fever, medically known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, is triggered when the immune system overreacts to proteins in pollen, causing inflammation in the nose, eyes, throat, and sinuses. The condition affects around one in five people in the UK, according to NHS guidance, and typically strikes between late March and September, worsening on warm, humid, and windy days when pollen is dispersed.
Symptoms range from sneezing, a blocked or runny nose, and itchy, watery eyes to headaches, earache, and even temporary loss of smell. For the estimated hundreds of thousands of sufferers who also have asthma, a spike in pollen can trigger wheezing and breathlessness, with health chiefs warning that hay fever can significantly exacerbate asthma symptoms.
What Sufferers Can Do
Pharmacists recommend starting antihistamine tablets or nasal sprays before symptoms take hold, rather than waiting until sneezing begins. Common over-the-counter options include cetirizine and loratadine tablets, alongside steroid nasal sprays for adults, which may take two to three weeks of regular use to reach full effect.
Other tips from NHS bodies include:
- Applying a thin layer of Vaseline around the nostrils to trap pollen before inhalation
- Wearing wraparound sunglasses to prevent pollen irritating the eyes
- Keeping windows and doors shut, particularly in the early evening when pollen counts tend to peak
- Showering and changing clothes after spending time outdoors to remove pollen trapped in hair or fabric
Symptoms are generally understood to kick in once the pollen count exceeds 50 grains per cubic metre of air—a threshold the Met Office says is comfortably surpassed when forecasts move into the 'high' and 'very high' bands.
Health officials stress that most sufferers can control symptoms with the right combination of treatment and precautions, provided medication is maintained throughout the pollen season rather than stopped as soon as symptoms ease.
