Watch: Pollen flies from trees as warm temps trigger allergy woes
Despite astronomical spring being a few weeks away, the recent warm spell has sped up the timeline for plants, with many releasing clouds of pollen into the air this week.
Clouds of pollen seen around cedar trees in Washington state
Video shot on Wednesday in the northwestern Washington town of Lake Stevens shows thick plumes of pollen wafting off of cedar trees.
LAKE STEVENS, Wash. – A cacophony of sneezes could be heard across the country, as an early onset of warm, spring-like temperatures led to a high pollen count in some areas.
This warmth typically occurs during the spring season, cueing plants to release pollen spores into the air. Despite astronomical spring being a few weeks away, recent warm spells have sped up the timeline for these plants, with many releasing clouds of pollen into the air this week.
One area experiencing this is the Pacific Northwest, where the Northwest Asthma and Allergy Center recorded a "Very High" pollen count of tree pollen on Wednesday.
(Benjamin Jurkovich / Washington Weather Chasers / FOX Weather)
One video shot Wednesday in the Seattle suburb of Lake Stevens shows thick plumes of pollen wafting off of cedar trees. Benjamin Jurkovich, who recorded the video, noted that the pollen continued to overtake parts of the city the day after.
"Today a lot of the trees are still releasing puffs of pollen when gusts hit, and there is a haze in the sky that is mostly pollen," he said. "It is also coating everything, easy to spot on vehicles. Spring is drawing near."
Down in California and the Southwest, the pollen count for tree pollen and weed pollen were "High" and "Extreme" in many areas on Friday, due to the early onset of warm temperatures.
(FOX Weather)
One city that is seeing a high pollen count is Long Beach, California, which broke its record for the highest temperature on record for Feb. 27. It clocked in a high of 88 degrees, while the average temperature for Feb. 27 in Long Beach is 67.
"Extreme" levels of tree pollen were forecast for much of the South, as well.
(FOX Weather)
This includes Nashville, Tennessee, which broke the highest temperature recorded on Feb. 26 with a reading of 80 degrees, according to the FOX Forecast Center. For context, the average temperature for that date in Music City is 59 degrees.
Warm temperatures and "Extreme" levels of tree pollen even stretched up to part of the Northeast.
There, Washington, D.C., which is preparing for the bloom of its famous cherry blossoms, recorded a high of 69 degrees on Tuesday. The FOX Forecast Center said that this is nearly 20 degrees above the average high this time of year of 51 degrees.