Track Pine Pollen Season at Home
go.ncsu.edu/readext?1115799
en Español / em Português
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
Português
Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.
Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.
English
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲Spring in the Cape Fear region brings beautiful weather, blooming flowers, and that unmistakable yellow film covering everything outdoors. While pine pollen season can be a nuisance for allergy sufferers, it’s also a fascinating natural phenomenon you can predict right from home—and it makes a great educational activity for kids!
Each spring, pine trees release billions of pollen grains to pollinate female flowers and produce seeds for the next generation of trees. This reproductive process is essential for North Carolina’s forest industry, which contributes over $42.5 billion to our state’s economy. Without this annual pollen release, we wouldn’t have the lumber and wood products we depend on daily.
Scientists have discovered you can predict when pine pollen season starts using a simple calculation called “degree-days.” All you need is the daily high temperature and a way to track your data. This activity teaches kids about phenology—the study of seasonal natural events—while helping families prepare for allergy season.
How It Works
Starting February 1st, track the daily high temperature. Each day, subtract 55°F from the maximum temperature. If the result is positive, add it to your running total. If it’s negative or zero, don’t add anything for that day.
For example, if today’s high is 54°F, subtracting 55 gives you -1. Since that’s negative, you add zero to your total. Over the next few days, you might record values of 8, -2, and 15. Adding only the positive numbers (8 + 0 + 15) gives you a cumulative degree-day value of 23.
Pine pollen season typically begins when you reach approximately 300 accumulated degree-days, usually in early to mid-March for the Cape Fear region. Peak pollen production occurs around 636 degree-days, often in early April.
The pine pollen season can last several weeks. Pollen levels are highest early in the morning on warm, dry, breezy days and lowest during cool, rainy periods. A rainy spring or late frost can significantly reduce the amount of pollen in the atmosphere. While you can’t avoid pine pollen entirely, predicting when the season peaks helps families plan outdoor activities, schedule car washes, or time allergy medications.
Want to track degree-days without doing the math? Click here to Download the Pine Pollen Tracker Spreadsheet
Resources
For more detailed information about the science behind pine pollen prediction, read the full NC State Extension publication: Predicting the Start of the Pine Pollen Season