Girona is this week one of the areas of Catalonia with the highest pollen load, with five types of pollen at maximum level, according to the latest update from the Aerobiological Information Point. It shares that situation with Bellaterra, while Barcelona, Manresa and Lleida present four types at the highest level, Tarragona adds three and Roquetes-Tortosa, two.
In the case of Girona, parietaria, mulberry trees, pine, plane tree, and oak or holm oak are at level 4. The city is thus located among the points with the highest concentration of pollen at a particularly demanding spring moment for allergic people.
Girona concentrates five pollens at the highest level
Pellitory remains at maximum and stable level in Girona, as in Barcelona, Bellaterra, Manresa, Tarragona, Lleida and Roquetes-Tortosa. The change in Girona has been notable in a few weeks, as at the beginning of spring it was at level 3 and has now reached level 4. In Vielha and Planes de Son, however, its values are low or null.
The mulberries have also risen to level 4 in Girona and are equal to Bellaterra, Manresa and Lleida. Barcelona and Tarragona remain at level 3. The pine continues at maximum level in Girona, Barcelona, Bellaterra, Manresa, Tarragona and Lleida, while it clearly drops in Roquetes-Tortosa, Vielha and Planes de Son.
The plane tree remains at level 4 in Girona, although with a downward trend. That same behavior is repeated in Barcelona, Bellaterra, Manresa, Tarragona, and Lleida. In parallel, the oak or holm oak also marks maximum level in Girona. Only Barcelona and Bellaterra are similarly at the highest level, while Manresa, Tarragona, Lleida, Roquetes-Tortosa, Vielha, and Planes de Son are at level 2.
Other indicators remain low or moderate
The poplar appears in Girona at level 2 and stable. It is also at level 2 in Bellaterra, Vielha and Planes de Son. Barcelona, Manresa, Tarragona and Roquetes-Tortosa register level 1, while Lleida is at level 2, although in decline.
Grasses remain low in Girona, at level 1, but with an upward trend. Lleida reaches level 3 in this section. In Girona, maple, crucifers, ash, mastic, melcoraje, plantain, willow, and birch continue at low levels. In this last case, additionally, an upward trend is detected.
The hazel and the alder remain at null level in Girona. The spores of alternaria and cladosporium continue at a low and stable level. The cypress, for its part, has dropped to level 1 in the city.
An intense spring after the winter rains
The behavior of the cypress contrasts with the start of the season. At the beginning of spring, in Girona the cypress was at its maximum level along with the pine and the plane tree. The forecast for this season already pointed to a particularly intense spring after a rainy winter and several weeks with high temperatures.
That combination helped leave the drought behind, but also favored the development of plants, with strong arboreal pollinations and a possible prolongation of herbaceous ones. In Girona, furthermore, the immediate precedent was already significant. Last year the city registered the highest plane tree pollination level since 1996, a fact that reinforces the weight that this type of episode is having at the start of spring.