Warning to hay fever sufferers as first major pollen bomb explodes
A 'pollen bomb' has hit the UK, so prepare to flee to the shops and arm yourself with hay fever tablets.
If you've been reaching for your tissues - or the bottom of your sleeve, we don't judge - questioning why your eyes are beginning to feel a bit scratchy and your nose has started twitching - your spidey senses are right as pollen season is upon us.
With the frosty, cold weather having finally come to an end after what feels like centuries, spring is finally here.
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However, not everyone will be rejoicing at the news - we're looking at you, hay fever sufferers.
To make matters worse, hay fever sufferers won't have time to ease into streaming nose season because the first 'pollen bomb' has already hit today (4 April) with more on the way.
A 'pollen bomb' 'occur[s] when groups of trees each release millions of grains of pollen in a short time'.
"A strong gust of wind can stir up enough pollen to look like smoke from a bomb explosion or create a thick haze of dust. The more trees in your area, the more pollen and the worse your allergy symptoms may be," pharmaceutical company Claritin explains.
And indeed, the Met Office's pollen forecast for today shows high levels of pollen and continued high levels incoming at the weekend.
The Met Office's pollen forecast predicts the East and West Midlands, Wales, East, South East and West of England and London will be particularly badly hit today by the so-called pollen bomb.
In a tweet, it explains: "Tree pollen is high across the south this week, particularly birch but also hornbeam, willow and ash. However, grass pollen is not yet in season."
More pollen bombs are set to return this bank holiday weekend too (8 and 9 April).
Airborne allergen expert and founder of HayMax barrier balms, Max Wiseberg, told The Sun: "The peak of the hay fever season has been delayed and the recent milder, wet weather has encouraged growth.
"Last month was the wettest March in England for over 40 years. So there’ll be plenty of pollen now the sun is coming out."
Basically, you better start bulk-buying your allergy tablets and tissues now, because it's only going to get worse - the tree pollen the first to hit, grass pollen lasting from 'mid-May until July' as per Met Office and weed pollen then hitting from the end of June to September.
Poppy Bilderbeck