Looking back on a year full of sneezing, itchy eyes, stuffy noses and fatigue
2023, a year that starts early! During the first half of 2023, the pollen season surprised with its early start and pronounced intensity. Hazelnut flowering began as early as late December, with moderate to high concentrations continuing throughout January due to unseasonably warm temperatures. Alder pollen also emerged in late December and reached high concentrations in early February.
April, you do whatever you want
In April, rainfall temporarily stopped birch pollen concentrations north of the Alps, while high levels remained high in the south until the end of April - our friends in Ticino can tell you a thing or two about it. For ash trees, the season was slightly below average, with disruptions due to April rains.
Grasses, the BIG problem
Grass pollen season peaked in late May and early June, with high concentrations due to favorable weather conditions – in short, fine, warm and windy weather. The effective spread by the breeze led to pronounced allergic reactions. The grass pollen season ended in August.
As Maestro Stromae says: Quand tu crois enfin qu'tu t'en sors, quand y'en a plus, et ben y'en a encore… (Just when you finally think you're getting through it, when you think it's over, well, it's not over yet...)
From the end of July, ragweed pollen concentrations appeared in Valais, while ragweed pollen made its debut in Ticino and the Lake Geneva region in August. Cheers to health!
In summary, the 2023 pollen season was characterized by its early start and high concentrations. Nature seems to play hide-and-seek with allergy sufferers and offers moments of relief, followed by real pollen attacks. For us allergy sufferers, the future looks turbulent because it doesn't look particularly rosy (we'll explain that later - we don't want to dampen the mood at the end of the year 😉).
We are also thinking about writing an article about the different trees and pollen varietals that are responsible for our problems. If you have other article ideas on topics that specifically interest you, please feel free to contact us at hello@blossomUp.com.
For those who want to know more, we invite you to check the expertise of Swiss weather. Until the 2024 season, the entire BlossomUp team wishes you an excellent end-of-year celebration with your friends and/or families! Take good care of yourself and see you soon.
Seb