Uh oh...
Words by Maisie Bovingdon
Hay fever sufferers have been warned to stay inside over the Easter bank holiday because pollen count will be at an all time high, with hay fever starting THREE weeks earlier than usual this year.
Yes, if you've been feeling the symptoms, this will explain it.
The UK was hit with the warmest winter on record - remember those unusually hot February days? Well, that has caused havoc for those allergic to pollen.
The rise in temperatures coupled with the dry and windy Spring days has created a breeding ground for pollen, and the mini heatwave earlier this year has triggered the early release of birch tree pollen, which affects one in four hay fever sufferers.
Expert Doctor Jean Emberlin told Metro: 'It was a very warm February and it certainly gave the trees a big boost in terms of catkin development.'
Thankfully March's frosty mornings, which saw mercury plummet on the thermometer, may have saved us and halted a really REALLY early hay fever season, although it didn't stop the dreaded months of sniffling and itchy eyes completely.
The hay fever season usually hits in the second week of April, but this year the dreaded sneezing and itchy symptoms started at the end of March, now going on for the next few months.
Now, time to stock up on tissues and hide from pollen!
