The pine pollen really started to be noticeable last week. Everything seems to be covered in sticky yellow dust. How long will it last?
I read a very interesting article from the NC State Extension Forestry division explaining how to calculate the beginning and peak of the pine pollen season. Essentially, starting on February 1, you record the daily high temperature. If it is above 55 degrees, subtract 55 from that day’s high temperature. Add up these positive differences from 55 daily until you reach 300. This is when you can expect the pine trees to begin releasing pollen. When your total reaches 636, it is peak pine pollen season.
I looked at the weather data for Morrisville, NC and did my own calculation for this year. Morrisville reached 300 on March 14, and sure enough, we were already beginning to see a coating of pollen on everything. As of today, we’re only in the mid-400’s. We haven’t peaked yet!