Griffin Hardy
Meteorologist
A look at how rain affects pollen and allergy sufferers
HOPING THAT MEANS A LOWER POLLEN COUNT WHEN THE RAIN COMES IN. METEOROLOGIST GRIFFIN HARDY IS LIVE IN LOCAL RIGHT NOW WITH MORE ON HOW EXACTLY THE RAIN DOES PLAY A ROLE IN OUR POLLEN COUNT. HI GRIFFIN. HI, CHRIS. YEAH, IT’S BACK TO BEING TOASTY AND DRY LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT FOR TODAY. AND WITH THOSE RAIN CHANCES THAT ARE GOING TO BE ON THE WAY IN THE SHORT TIME OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, THAT GIVES US AT LEAST SOME HOPE FOR EVERYBODY. WITH ALLERGIES THAT THERE WILL BE SOME RELIEF IN SIGHT. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, THAT CONNECTION BETWEEN THE RAIN AND LOWER POLLEN COUNTS ISN’T ALWAYS AS CUT AND DRY AS YOU MAY THINK. WE’RE IN THE THICK OF POLLEN SEASON IN THE UPSTATE, AND THAT MEANS DUSTY CARS, LOTS OF SNEEZING AND ITCHY EYES. THE ONLY RELIEF FROM IT WE GET THIS TIME OF YEAR ARE RAINY DAYS. WHILE RAIN DOES OFTEN LOWER POLLEN COUNTS AS IT’S HAPPENING. THE TRUTH IS THAT ONCE THE SUNSHINE COMES BACK OUT, THE POLLEN COUNT CAN OFTEN COME ROARING BACK UP. TYPICALLY, YOU WOULD THINK A RAINSTORM WOULD BE A GREAT HELP FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE SUFFERING WITH POLLEN ALLERGIES. RIGHT NOW, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT CAN SOMETIMES BE SHORT LIVED BECAUSE THE POLLEN THEN CAN DRY OUT AND THEN BECOME, YOU KNOW, VERY LIGHT AND THEN BLOW AROUND AND CERTAINLY AFFECT PATIENTS AGAIN. NOT TO MENTION IT CAN ALSO REHYDRATE THE TREES TO CONTINUE THEIR POLLINATING SEASON, WHICH CAUSES ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS FOR PATIENTS. ANOTHER WAY RAIN CAN ACTUALLY AMPLIFY THE POLLEN COUNT IS BY HELPING IT DISPERSE MORE EASILY. THE OTHER THING THAT CAN HAPPEN WITH A RAINSTORM THAT CAN AFFECT POLLEN IS THE LARGE DROPS OF OF RAIN CAN ACTUALLY BREAK UP SOME OF THE POLLEN THAT’S ON THE GROUND, AND THEN AS IT DRIES OUT, THAT CAN THEN BE DISPERSED FARTHER. SO EVEN THE POLLEN THAT HAD FALLEN AND YOU THINK WOULDN’T HAVE AFFECTED PATIENTS CAN THEN NOW BE DISPERSED THROUGH THE WIND. ONCE IT DRIES OUT. SO WE’RE DRY FOR THE MOMENT, BUT YET THE RAIN CHANCES ON THE WAY THIS WEEKEND AND LUCKILY, THIS IS PROBABLY THE WARMEST DAY THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE IN THE NEAR TUM. CHRIS, HAVE MORE ON THAT IN YOUR FORECAST COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. FOR NOW, REPORTING LIVE IN
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A look at how rain affects pollen and allergy sufferers
Griffin Hardy
Meteorologist
With rain in the forecast this week many of the pollen sufferers are hoping that gives me some relief. Unfortunately, though, that relationship between rain and pollen isn’t as cut and dry as you might think.WYFF News 4 Meteorologist Griffin Hardy spoke with a local allergy doctor to learn if rain really does help improve pollen counts in our area.“Typically – you would think a rainstorm would be a great help for patients who are suffering from allergies right now,” says Dr. John Pulcini of Acadia Allergy and Immunology in Greenville.“...but unfortunately, it can sometimes be short-lived because the pollen then can dry out and become very light and blow around and certainly affect patients again. Not to mention it can also re-hydrate the trees to continue their pollinating season, which causes additional problems for patients.”Another way that rain can actually amplify the pollen count is by breaking down larger clumps of pollen into smaller pieces and making it easier to blow around.“The large drops of rain can actually break up some of the pollen that’s on the ground,” explained Pulcini.“And then, as it dries out, that can then be dispersed farther. So even the pollen that had fallen – and you’d think wouldn’t affect the patients – can now be dispersed through the wind once it dries out.”For more information on seasonal allergies, head over to Acadia Allergy & Immunology’s website.
GREENVILLE, S.C. —
With rain in the forecast this week many of the pollen sufferers are hoping that gives me some relief.
Unfortunately, though, that relationship between rain and pollen isn’t as cut and dry as you might think.
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WYFF News 4 Meteorologist Griffin Hardy spoke with a local allergy doctor to learn if rain really does help improve pollen counts in our area.
“Typically – you would think a rainstorm would be a great help for patients who are suffering from allergies right now,” says Dr. John Pulcini of Acadia Allergy and Immunology in Greenville.“...but unfortunately, it can sometimes be short-lived because the pollen then can dry out and become very light and blow around and certainly affect patients again. Not to mention it can also re-hydrate the trees to continue their pollinating season, which causes additional problems for patients.”
Another way that rain can actually amplify the pollen count is by breaking down larger clumps of pollen into smaller pieces and making it easier to blow around.
“The large drops of rain can actually break up some of the pollen that’s on the ground,” explained Pulcini.“And then, as it dries out, that can then be dispersed farther. So even the pollen that had fallen – and you’d think wouldn’t affect the patients – can now be dispersed through the wind once it dries out.”
For more information on seasonal allergies, head over to Acadia Allergy & Immunology’s website.
