After a string of warmer than normal days, the tree pollen is going up fast.  In fact we got word Monday from the Marshfield Clinic-Wausau Center that tree pollen was measured at a level of over 300, which puts it in the high category.  So if you have red, itchy eyes, sneezing, headache, runny nose, and fatigue…this could be your culprit.  We will  be passing on the pollen information throughout the growing season here on WAOW-TV.  We know many of you are impacted by seasonal allergies so we want to help you as much as we can.  The Marshfield Clinic-Wausau Center released a very informative press release on how they measure aeroallergens.  Please take a few minutes to read through it.  You may find it useful.  One key point I saw was that the measurement they report each morning is actually an average for the past 24 hours.

Aeroallergen Counting

Aeroallergen counting involves the measurement of specific allergens or allergen classes in the atmosphere. This is typically performed using volumetric measuring devices. Each device has a range of particle sizes which it counts most efficiently. Counts are reported in particles per cubic meter of air. This value represents the average over the counting period. It does not represent an instantaneous value. Thus 20 hours of high pollen exposure followed by 1 inch of rain in the last 4 hours will still produce a high pollen count for the day. The next 24 hour period will likely be affected though.

Factors which affect the pollen counts include most notably the life cycle of the plant being studied and the weather. Plants progress through the normal pollen producing seasons as follows:

Trees: Late March to early June. The beginning of the tree season is significantly affected by the weather and quite variable.

Grass: June-July, peaks the third-fourth week of June.

Weeds: August-September, peaks near the end of August, gone with frost.

Warm, dry, windy conditions tend to favor higher pollen counts. This tends to be especially true early in the season when it also aids in plant maturation. Favorable weather by itself cannot cause high counts though. An example would be as the normal pollen producing period is winding down, few pollen are being released. In contrast, even significant rain can be overcome by high pollen producing periods.

Pollen counting has been performed by the Marshfield Clinic and the Wausau Medical Center for many years. Following the merger of the two clinics in 1997, it was decided that pollen counting for the system would take place exclusively in Wausau. This service has been supported and managed by the Allergist of the Marshfield Clinic System and performed directly by trained lab technicians. A Rotorod sampler is currently utilized and positioned on the roof of the Marshfield Clinic-Wausau Center. It is very effective for counting pollen. This device is not as efficient for mold spores less than 10 microns and thus mold counts are not performed. Mold spore counting requires a significant increase in technical equipment and labor resources and thus is not routinely performed by most pollen counting stations.

We would be happy to discuss the workings of the Rotorod sampler in more detail if desired. A site visit could also be arranged with our lead lab technician (Ray).

I hope you have found this information useful. I think this service does help educate the public and certainly helps our patients as well as ourselves, the treating physicians.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any questions.

Mark Huftel, M.D.

Allergist

Marshfield Clinic-Wausau Center, 847-3430

Pollen Count Ranges

Low Moderate High Very High

Trees < 15    15-90    91-1500    > 1500

Grasses < 5    5-20    21-200     > 200

Weeds < 10    10-50    51-500    > 500

(Ragweed)

Posted under Allergies, Seasonal Items, Spring

I’m sure many of you have or are still dealing with seasonal allergy symptoms.  You know, the runny nose, itchy watery eyes, and that tickle in the throat.  Maybe they just make you feel fatigued.  Whatever the case may be, perhaps you’ve found over the counter medication that works for you.  Of course you should seek the advice of your doctor if you are having serious allergic reactions.  However, folks have been using home remedies for seasonal allergies for many hundreds of years.  Below you will find some of the popular ones.

• A basic one is just to clean up carefully.  It’s especially important to change clothes and wash your face, hands, and hair after being outside for long periods.  Otherwise you are dragging all the pollen indoors, and transporting to places like your pillow and bed where you will breath it in all night.
• Keep the windows and doors shut as much as possible to allow the least amount of pollen in the home.
• Use a HEPA filter on your air conditioning unit and change air filters in your heating /cooling system often.
• Bathe pets frequently, especially those that go outside a lot.
• Drink red or green tea daily.  It is high in antioxidants and can help soothe itchy eyes and nasal passages.
• Use a nasal saline spray.  Some even mix some peppermint oil with it  to enhance the itch relief and reduce sinus membrane swelling (approximately 10 drops peppermint oil per 3 ounces of saline).
• Use a salve in the nose to block allergens and reduce dryness such as a 60% beeswax and 40% olive oil mix.
• Eat a teaspoon or two of locally produced honey daily for a few months before allergy season. 

• Daily lime drink.  Squeeze the juice of one fresh lime into one cup hot water.  Add honey to sweeten.
• Use a salt water rinse to reduce a sore throat that may result from post nasal drip.
• Use spices frequently such as chilli peppers, hot ginger, and onions to open up nasal passages.
• Eat lots of vegetable and fruit salads as they contain antioxidants and help boost your immune system.
• Apples and onions contain quercetin which inhibits your body from releasing histamine.  Histamine triggers your body’s immune response.

Whatever your method of dealing with your seasonal allergies, I wish you success and luck!  I hope the spring isn’t too rough on you.

Posted under Allergies, Seasonal Items

I’ve got some not so good news for those of you with seasonal fall allergies.  A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others indicates that ragweed pollen season over the past 30 years has gotten longer.  For example in Madison, it’s about 12 days longer, Minneapolis, 16 days longer, to as much as 28 days longer in Winnipeg.  The main driving force behind this is believed to be a warming climate.  Average dates of killing freezes have been pushed back as the climate changes.  While a hard freeze in fall reduces pollen production significantly, it usually doesn’t disappear until a good snow cover has developed.  The average dates of continuous snow on the ground has also slipped later into the year extending the allergy season.  Interestingly enough though, the length of ragweed pollen season has actually shrunk in southern locations like Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.  While no definitive reason is given, maybe it’s getting too hot there for ragweed to stay healthy deep into the fall.   Or perhaps it matures earlier in the season and then shrivels up in the fall.  By  the way, a ragweed plant can produce up to 1 billion pollen grains.

Common Ragweed

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) says about 12 million Americans are impacted by fall allergies.  Besides ragweed, dust mites and mold come into play.  Of course areas that have had a wetter summer and higher humidity will have more mold problems.  They say in general a warmer climate causes plants to produce more pollen than they used too.  This is accentuated by the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now.  Of course plants use CO2 and sunlight to produce energy. CO2 allows plants to produce not only more pollen, but more intense pollen.  As such there are more allergens per grain of pollen than years ago in many species.

The AAAAI also suggests that easting a plethora of fresh fruit can enhance allergic reactions in some people.  The different varieties of pollens mixing together in your body can confuse the body’s immune system.  They say though, don’t stop eating fresh fruits.  The health benefits outweigh the possible side-effects.

Well, good luck if you are going through that annoying routine of sneezing, runny eyes and nose, and itchy throat right now.  I feel for you, as I get hit some as well.  Just keep thinking cold thoughts like hard frost, and snow!

Posted under Ag Weather, AGW, Allergies, Climate Change, Ecology, Environment, Fall, Freeze, Seasonal Items, Weather and Health

The Wisconsin DNR has issued an Air Quality Watch for southeast Wisconsin Wednesday into Thursday morning.    You may have noticed this type of thing issued in your area at various times the past few years.   We see it more often in the summer when we have a humid, stagnant weather pattern without much wind.   In winter, it occurrs when we have had a prolonged period with a low level temperature inversion which tends to trap the air and pollutants in the lowest few thousand feet of the atmosphere.  They do this when unhealthy levels of ozone and particulate matter are expected.   The technical discussion of such matters listed below is taken directly from their website.

Groups that are most sensitive to ozone and PM2.5 include:

• Active children who spend much of their time outdoors
• Active adults who spend much of their time outdoors
• People with asthma or other respiratory diseases
• People with heart disease (PM2.5 sensitivity only)
• Older adults (PM2.5 sensitivity only)

At high levels, everyone should be concerned about ozone and PM2.5 exposure affecting their respiratory health. Ozone and PM2.5 can affect human health in many ways:

• Irritate respiratory systems and cause coughing and difficulty breathing
• Reduce lung function
• Aggravate asthma
• Cause permanent lung damage
• Aggravate or cause chronic lung diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis
• Reduce the immune system’s ability to fight off bacterial infections in the respiratory system
• Irregular heartbeat (PM2.5 only)
• Nonfatal heart attacks (PM2.5 only)
• Premature death in people with heart or lung disease (PM2.5 only)

Environmental Health Impacts

• Ground level ozone and particle pollution are major components of smog, which reduces visibility in addition to affecting human health.
• Ground level ozone and particle pollution damage non-living things. Ozone affects rubber, textiles, and coatings like paint and dyes. Particle pollution can damage statues, monuments, and buildings made of stone and other materials.
• Ozone injures plant leaves and slows photosynthesis, the process by which plants make their food. Ozone damage leads to reduced plant growth and survival and increased susceptibility to diseases, pests, and drought. Leaf discoloration and spots are visible symptoms of severe ozone stress. Ozone impacts the production of agricultural crops and commercial timber and also diminishes the aesthetic value of natural and landscaped vegetation.
• Fine particle pollution is often acidic, causing acid rain and making lakes and streams acidic. Deposition of nitrogen-containing particles may change the nutrient balance in lakes and rivers, affecting the diversity of ecosystems or damaging forests or crops

Ozone

• Ozone (O₃) is a colorless gas found both in the Earth’s upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found.
• Ozone occurs naturally in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, 10 to 30 miles above the Earth’s surface, forming a layer that shields life on Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Because of this protection, stratospheric ozone is sometimes called “good ozone.”
• While stratospheric ozone protects us, at ground-level, where we inhale it, ozone is harmful to health. Ozone is created by a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of heat and sunlight.
• The highest ozone levels in Wisconsin typically occur from mid-May to mid-September, especially in hot hazy weather with southerly winds.
• On March 12, 2008, EPA announced that the 8-hour ozone standard had been lowered to 75 ppb from 85 ppb in response to better data about health impacts.

Particle Pollution

• Particle pollution is composed of solid particles or liquid droplets that are suspended in air.
• There are two size ranges for particle pollution that are a concern in Wisconsin: coarse particles (PM10) have a diameter of 10 micrometers or less, and fine particles (PM2.5) have a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less. For reference, the average human hair is 70 micrometers in diameter, 30 times larger than the largest fine particle.
• PM2.5 is more closely regulated than PM10 because of greater health concerns as they can imbed deeper in the lungs, even in the tiniest air sacs.
• In Wisconsin, PM2.5 levels typically peak in winter but concentrations can also be high in summer.
• In October 2006, EPA lowered the 24-hour PM2.5 standard to 35 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) from 65 µg/m³.

They have a series of monitoring stations set up around Wisconsin to keep track of this stuff.  Go here if you would like to check it out.  http://dnrmaps.wisconsin.gov/imf/imf.jsp?site=wisards

When air quality watches or advisories are in effect, the DNR recommends people refrain from burning and use your vehicles and other gas and diesel fueled devices as little as possible.

Posted under Allergies, Alternative Energy, Climate Change, Community, Ecology, Environment, Pollution, Science

One more round…yep that its.  We are going to deal with storms overnight again but then we will see a break. The greatest threat will be flooding from heavy rains and strong winds.  A ridge will build in this week and it looks like sunshine but cooler temps are in our forecast! We have only seen 6 dry days in June but it looks like we will really add to that through this week.

It is amazing to me that the grass count is so low for pollen.  I have to say that I have had the worst allergies of the year today.  I try to avoid taking medication that will make me drowsy but I had no choice because I could stop sniffling and sneezing.  I know alot of people have complained about allergies this year, it was one of the worst years we have seen, but until recently I hadn’t been sick at all.  Wow, now do I understand what people were going through!

Alright now I have a game for anyone who wants to take a stab at it!  This is actually a really neat tool from the National Weather Service office in Peachtree, GA.  They call it the HotSeat… I don’t want to give to many details away but it will put you in charge. See how good you can do.  If anything it is a great learning tool and will show you what we look at.

Last but not least…Say hello to Alex, he is our first named storm of the Atlantic season. 

Here are also some pictures from the library talk I did in Nekoosa.

Have a great night! Meteorologsit Kristen Connolly  

Posted under Allergies, Flooding, Severe Weather, Storms, Summer, Tropics, Weather History, Weather NEws, Weather Safety

Good evening.  It’s been almost a week since I have been back to my normal schedule! I have had a fun filled day.  I went to visit second graders at Mosinee elementary school this afternoon and they were a great group.  They had awesome questions and knew some tough weather questions I asked.  This was my second year heading out there and I was glad I could be apart of their weather section. 

I also wanted to mention that there will be a storm spotter training session here in Wausau this Friday.  It will be at the Plaza hotel at 6:00 pm.  Storm spotter training happens all over our area and if you attend one you can be an official Severe Weather Spotter.  For the list of where the training session will still be check out their website. 

One thing I have heard from people is how bad allergies are.  We have seen a little rain which helps to elevate some of the pollen but even today’s count was still in the high range.  I was reading this article today which I thought had some good hints at how to elevate some of the pain from allergy suffers.  There are always the common ways that people think of but these are some other tips that you might not think of on a daily basis.  One I never thought of was washing in hot water compared to cold or lukewarm.  According to the article it kills more dust mites. 

Have a good night! Meteorologist Kristen Connolly

Posted under Allergies, Spring