Map: South of France on highest alert for pollen allergies
Eight departments are on red alert due to the unseasonably warm weather
Tree pollen season has come even earlier this year amid rising temperatures
HBRH / Shutterstock
The southeast of France is on red alert (highest level) for allergies against pollen from cypress, ash, mimosa, and hazel, due to rising temperatures, the air quality network has warned.
The R茅seau national de surveillance de l'a茅robiologique (RNSA) updated its pollen allergy map on January 26.
It showed a yellow risk (medium level) in the lower third of the country, and a band of red (highest level) on the south-eastern border, from Pyr茅n茅es-Orientales to Alpes-Maritimes.
Temps doux et ensoleill茅 favorisant la dispersion des pollens.
Risque 茅lev茅 pour les cypr猫s autour de la M茅diterran茅e, faible 脿 moyen pour les fr锚nes.
Noisetier et aulne pr茅sents dans le nord avec un risque faible.
Restez inform茅s pour prot茅ger votre sant茅!
鈥� R茅seau National de Surveillance A茅robiologique (@rnsa_pollen)
In a statement, the RNSA said that 鈥渨ith favourable winds, generous sunshine and remarkably mild temperatures sometimes in excess of 20掳C between the Pyrenees, Languedoc and all around the Mediterranean, the January records could be approached or even exceeded鈥�.
The risk from cypress is particularly high in Occitanie, the RNSA said, especially in Narbonne and Montpellier. The risk in Toulouse and Castres is moderate, it added.
The network continually updates its risk assessment and warnings on its . Hovering over a department on the map brings up a table specifying the risk for each allergen.
For example, Var is on red alert for cypress and yellow for ash, but green (lowest level) for hazel. In contrast, Haute-Garonne is on yellow for cypress.
Warmer weather early last year (2023) also brought allergy warnings in February, but this year the warning has come even earlier. In summer 2022, experts warned that allergies were expected to intensify in coming years amid global warming.
There are typically three allergy seasons in France; the period of tree pollen, then grass pollen, and then herb and ragweed.
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