Alder pollen spike leads to warnings across most of France

Heightened pollen warnings have been raised across almost all of France for the coming days, with certain areas of the south-west at very high risk.

Official air quality watchdog AtmoFrance cites a spike in Alder pollen across all regions in France until at least Wednesday.

AtmoFrance publishes its forecast of the pollen index for the next 48 hours daily at 13:00, meaning warnings may be extended later into the week.

Despite spring not technically arriving for another few weeks, February and March are peak season for Alder pollution. 

Alder trees are often found in wetlands and along riverbanks, and are similar to birches in appearance.

Most regions of France have been put on an ‘elevated’ (‘élevé’) warning for Alder pollen.

In the south-west, areas around Toulouse, the Dordogne, and the eastern Pyrénées are at slightly lower risk (‘modéré’).

However, many other areas including the western Pays-Basque face an extreme pollen warning (‘très élevé’), and in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques the highest possible warnings have been given (‘extrêmement élevé’).

Alder trees are native across Europe, Eurasia, and North America (and have been introduced to several other areas) so are unlikely to be new plants your body interacts with, but if you are sensitive to pollen it may still trigger a reaction. 

Symptoms include: 

• frequent sneezing 

• nasal congestion 

• persistent runny nose

• irritated throat

• cough

• cConjunctivitis

People with asthma or other similar conditions may also have difficulty breathing.

In the south-east, areas around Nice and the French Riviera have also been put on a heightened warning for cypress pollen, despite spikes usually happening around March.

Our article explains how to find out more about pollen levels in your area.