Right now, we are going through what has been called the worst allergy season ever. I live in California, and have been suffering from allergies for weeks. Your experience may vary depending on where you live and exactly how severe your allergies happen to be. Personally, my allergies are so extreme that I’ve been told more than once that I should live in a “bubble”. If only I knew how to make that happen!
Fortunately, there are some online tools that can help me, and my fellow allergy sufferers, to survive this horrible season. Now seems like a good time to share them.
Pollen Forecasts
Benadryl.com has a simple pollen forecast. Look for the part that says “See Today’s Pollen Forecast”. Click the link that says “change location” and put in your zip code. It gives you a number, from zero through 12, that indicates how high the pollen count is. It also shows the three most predominant forms of pollen.
Allegra.com also has a pollen forecast. To use it, you have to type in your zip code. You get a bar graph that shows how high the pollen count is today, tomorrow, and for the next two days. It also tells you the two most predominant pollens.
Claritin.com has a pollen forecast that isn’t quite so informative. As always, you need to type in your zip code. Today, it says that the pollen where I am at is “medium”, (but it doesn’t assign it a numeric value). It tells me the two most predominant pollens. It shows tonight’s pollen count, tomorrows, and the next two days.
The Weather Channel also has a pollen forecast. The advantage of using this pollen forecast is that it isn’t hosted by a company that makes an allergy medication. The disadvantage, at least for me, is that it won’t give me information about what the pollen is like where I am at. Punch in your zip code and see if it works for you.
The best thing about all of these pollen forecasts is that I can look at them and, at a glance, know how dangerous it would be for me to go outside today. I can see how bad my allergies would be without having to leave my house.
Image: She Suffers A Cold by BigStock
Another cool one is pollen.com. You can even compare two different zip codes if you want.