What is the pollen count in Atlanta today? | Daily tracker for spring 2025

Editor’s note: The video above is from previous coverage.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Runny noses. Watery eyes. Yellow-caked cars.

That’s right — it’s pollen season in metro Atlanta again. But this year, the pollen count is even worse than usual.

March is usually Georgia’s worst month for pollen. But Atlanta Allergy & Asthma, which operates the city’s only National Allergy Bureau-certified pollen counting station, recorded a surprising metric on March 29 — a pollen count of 14,801. The former record was 9,368 in March 2012.

Why is the pollen count so high?

Although spring officially began on March 20 like any other year, the weather warmed up quicker than usual, First Alert Meteorologist Courteney Jacobazzi said. In February, temperatures skirted the high 70s, making for an early bloom.

The lack of a hard freeze, plus continuously sunny and dry weather, created the perfect environment for the pollen to thrive, Jacobazzi said.

But pollen season is bad any year due to what horticulturalists call “botanical sexism,” the practice of planting mostly male trees in urban spaces. Female plants produce fruit, while male plants produce pollen — and Atlanta is commonly called the “city in the forest.”

“Because there are no receptive female individuals to catch the pollen, it falls on your car and falls on your driveway,” Maxwell Kotelnicki, an outdoor horticulture manager at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, told Atlanta News First.

When will the pollen count go down?

Atlanta’s pollinating season typically runs from mid-March through mid-April, so we have a few more weeks to go.

In the meantime, doctors recommend common-sense steps, such as changing your air filters, showering before going to bed, wearing sunglasses to keep pollen out of your eyes and even wiping down pet paws.

“I always tell people to close your car windows, use air conditioning, and close your house windows, too. Get on medication if you have to, you can get allergy shots too,” Dr. Christopher Chu at Atlanta Allergy and Asthma told Atlanta News First. “There are ways to get through the tough season to come.”

MORE COVERAGE:

Atlanta shatters pollen count record, rising far above ‘extreme’ standards

Is ‘botanical sexism’ to blame for Atlanta’s brutal pollen season?

Metro Atlanta pollen count numbers surge to seasonal high

Atlanta, Augusta ranked among worst places to live with allergies

Tools to navigate record breaking pollen count: doctors weigh in

Allergy season arrived early in US. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining your spring