Met Office Issues Red Hay Fever Alert for UK

The Met Office has issued a red alert for hay fever across much of the United Kingdom, warning of very high pollen levels that began affecting England and Wales on Monday and are forecast to continue through the weekend. This highest-level advisory signals widespread symptoms for pollen allergy sufferers, with birch and ash pollen expected to dominate in southern and central regions, alongside elevated plane pollen in urban areas.

The alert covers all of England and Wales, where dry, warm conditions are promoting peak tree pollen release. Northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland face high levels on Tuesday and Wednesday, though counts are projected to ease to medium or low later in the week in northern areas. Officials attribute the surge to warmer air masses from continental Europe following Storm Dave, which brought gusts up to 93 miles per hour and power outages over the Easter weekend. Temperatures are set to climb into the low 20s Celsius midweek, potentially reaching 23 or 24 degrees in southeast England by Wednesday, before cooling to around 10 to 13 degrees on Thursday.

Hay fever impacts an estimated 10 to 13 million people in the UK, with tree pollen triggering...