Medically reviewed by
Meghan J. Lemke, MD
Almost everyone has experience with allergies and some people’s allergies are more serious than others. And, almost everyone’s allergies vary in their severity. You’ll likely experience more symptoms during the spring, for example, when common outdoor allergens such as pollen are more common. Even that will vary, however. Allergies caused by pollen, mold, and other common irritants often vary by the day, depending on how high counts are in the air.
By staying informed about current pollen and mold counts, everyone can take steps to make sure that they and their loved ones keep their allergies under control, both during peak allergy season and during downtimes such as the upcoming winter months.
To help, Carolina Asthma and Allergy Center has a tool that updates daily with the pollen and mold counts that are most likely to affect local allergies in the greater Charlotte area. By taking appropriate precautions on high allergen count days, individuals and families are able to take back control of their allergies, keeping their symptoms in check and making sure that they have the energy to enjoy all outdoor fun activities.
Check out our Pollen and Mold Counter.
An Overview: The Carolina Allergy and Asthma Center Pollen Counter
Our pollen counter is used to help everyone track the number and severity of the various common allergens. These include trees, grass, mold, and weed. These allergens all fluctuate during the course of the year and people respond differently to each allergen. Some people might have more powerful allergies to mold while others might be more reactive to grass pollen. Those who understand which allergies cause more disruptive symptoms can take steps to avoid the outdoors during certain times of day or certain times of year. Our pollen counter includes information on:
Daily Pollen Counts: A daily snapshot of the pollen that could affect your allergies. Information is updated daily from February 15 – November 15. Since pollen counts are consistently low in December and January, the counter is updated less frequently during those months
Current Trends: What you can expect seasonally, such as the typical trends for the autumn season. This section of the calendar is typically updated every few months to reflect seasonal trends.
Sneeze-O-Meter: An interactive graph of allergen counts for different time periods. You can select the time period and allergen you’re interested in to view levels for that time period compared to historical averages.
Top Allergens: A subsection of our Sneeze-O-Meter, this section will update with the top types of allergens for the category you select. For example, if you have tree allergies, you can select “Trees” and find that the top tree allergens include elm, cedar, and oak.
Allergens Measured in the Counter
Our pollen counter measures the most common pollen allergens in the area, helping you identify seasonal trends and levels for allergens including:
Grass Pollens: Those who are reactive to grass pollens have likely found that their symptoms peak during the early part of the summer. Grasses tend to peak early in May and will last through June and into early July.
Weed Pollens: The pollens from weeds tend to peak early in the fall. During the late summer, weed pollens start to become a bigger problem and as school gets going, these pollens become a bigger problem for many individuals and families.
Tree Pollens: The pollens from the trees are a bigger problem during the early part of the summer, such as June and July. Once August starts to roll around, the tree pollens start to drop off.
Mold Pollens: Mold is at its height during the hot and humid summer months, as the temperature and moisture creates favorable conditions. Even though most people no longer have mold in their homes thanks to modern heating and air conditioning, it is still prevalent outside and can affect individuals with allergies.
Using the Pollen Counter
The pollen counter was designed as an interactive tool for allergy suffers to use to better plan their days and allergy treatment regimen. For example, those who need to spend time outside risk being exposed to many of these allergens, but knowing when counts are high can help them plan. If counts are high, they can take over the counter or prescription medication in advance of spending time outdoors to stop symptoms before they start.
There are also some steps that people can follow to reduce their exposure seasonally. During the spring, the plants tend to pollinate during the early hours of the morning. The longer people can wait before going outside, the better their symptoms are going to be. During the summer, this changes. As the temperature rises during the day, so will the humidity. Those with allergy problems will feel better if they can go outside during the morning hours. This will help them avoid the heat, the humidity, and the mold spores. Fall is another allergy season to be aware of so keep checking our pollen counter to see what levels are high through the fall too.
The team at Carolina Asthma and Allergy has taken steps to place the most relevant and updated allergy information online in the pollen counter to help you better understand and manage your allergies. As the degree of allergens in the air varies, so will people’s symptoms.
Specialized Allergy Care from Carolina Asthma and Allergy Center
When your symptoms start to flare and over-the-counter medications don’t help, however, it is a good idea to seek medical care. The team at the Carolina Allergy and Asthma Center is always happy to help people gain control of their allergic symptoms.
Carolina Allergy and Asthma Center gives individuals and families specialized, personalized care from allergy specialists who can help you manage your allergies and improve your quality of life. Contact us today to schedule an appointment. We are here to help.
