Met Office issues ‘very high’ warning to 7 UK areas on Saturday and Sunday – full list | UK | News
As hayfever season draws closer, seven areas across the UK have been put on Met Office red ‘very high’ pollen alert this week.
This follows record-breaking temperatures for this time of year, with highs of 26.5C recorded in the south of England on Wednesday 8 April, with large parts of the country seeing sunshine and temperatures in the 20s.
The unseasonably warm weather is now over and temperatures have fallen back to seasonal averages across much of the UK.
However, despite the mercury returning to more typical levels, pollen counts remain extremely high across the country, triggering severe hay fever symptoms for countless Britons.
Throughout the spring and summer months the Met Office publishes a pollen forecast to warn hay fever sufferers of when they can expect their symptoms to peak. Warnings are issued at levels of severity ranging from low (green), medium (yellow), high (yellow) and very high (red).
Hay fever affects more than 10 million people in the UK and is triggered by an allergic reaction to pollen; This can lead to congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, and in some cases even headaches and hives. Pollen types typically fall into three main categories (tree, grass, and weed) that cause allergies at varying periods throughout the year. Tree pollen is the most likely culprit right now because it usually reaches its peak in early spring, between March and May. This week the Met Office warned that hay fever sufferers who are allergic to birch, ash or plane pollen will experience the biggest impact.
Warnings are issued by the Meteorological Office at different levels of intensity: yellow (medium), orange (high) or red (very high). Nine parts of England have been placed under very high alert next week.
On Thursday 9 April, six UK regions were issued a red alert for pollen (ash and birch pollen), including Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands, the East Midlands, south-west England, the east of England and London, and south-west England.
The same areas will experience very high pollen levels on Friday, April 10, along with north-west England, which includes Greater Manchester.
