North Florida is home to abundant species of oak and pines that will start pumping out the pollen in the months ahead.
Our area gets a jump start on the allergy season compared to other parts of the country especially when a warm spell arrives early like what we are expecting early in February. This is the month when local trees begin producing pollen which you will see as yellow dust streaks on your cars or floating as a film in swimming pools.
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Elm Trees go into overdrive producing pollen around Jacksonville starting in late January through the spring months. The Elms rely on the wind to pollinate other trees which will make blustery days especially problematic for allergy sufferers.
Spring allergies go full swing by March with trees like River birch, bayberry, elm, oak, and maple producing the biggest allergy ailments.
Then there is the issue of mold allergies this year. The early winter freezes produced abundant dead vegetation which harbors mold if the decaying plant matter stays wet. Too much irrigation or a series of rainy days (which have not been an issue) can lead to problems when temps dip into the 40s at night.
Jacksonville is ranked as the second worst city in Florida behind Miami for allergy associated problems according to a list compiled by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Plants will bloom earlier this season with the cold January behind us and projections for a mild February ahead. January had four freezes in Jacksonville placing the month’s average 2° cooler than the normal average of 54 degrees. Despite six consecutive freezes at the end of December, the month finished nearly on average at 56 degrees.