How bad is the pollen in Georgia? Saturday has set a new record for most pollen in the air
Tree pollen is considered extremely high when it exceeds 1,500 grains per cubic meter of air.
Saturday's number, according to Atlanta Allergy & Asthma: 14,801. That's nearly 10 times what is considered extremely high by pollen standards.
That smashes the previous record of 9,368 set 13 years ago, according to meteorologist Mike Seidel.
Atlanta meteorologist Brad Nitz of WSB-TV provided a look of previous records in the 35 years of pollen record keeping.
Atlanta Allergy & Asthma also shows weed pollen being in the high range while mold and grass pollen are extremely low.
The total on Sunday shot drastically high after much lower totals earlier in the week (although those, too, would be considered extremely high). Friday's total was 6,345 while Thursday (1,605) and Wednesday (2,896) were considerably lower.
Ryne Dennis is the Deep South Connect Team Editor for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X @RyneDennis and email at rdennis@onlineathens.com.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia crushes record for most pollen in the air. How much was measured?

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Heat, floods and a 'glacial outburst'
Intense rain, heat and flooding disrupted lives in scattered locations across the country this week. Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to news on climate change, energy and the environment. I'm Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, coming to you from the Sunshine State where my car thermometer on Aug. 13 told me it was 100 degrees at 7:30 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, the average overnight minimum temperature in at least one Central Florida location has increased by 3 degrees in my lifetime. Madeline Heim at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looked at how climate change is increasingly fueling extreme rainfall events, a topic that keeps emerging as flood after flood occurs across the United States. In Wisconsin, the National Weather Service reported some parts of Milwaukee received more than a foot of rain, which would shatter the state's 24-hour rainfall record if verified. River heights soared. The record rain was called a 1 in 1,000 year event. The 2010s were Wisconsin's wettest decade since record-keeping began around 1900. Between 2010 and 2019, the state experienced at least 21 "100-year" rainfall events, meaning a 1% chance of the event occurring in a given year,' Hein reported. Since Milwaukee's weather records began in 1871, there have only been 11 days when the city has seen more than four inches of rain. Seven of those occurred in the past 30 years. A 'glacial outburst' in Alaska Flooding in Juneau, where temperatures have been rising in recent years, also has been attributed to climate change. Water from a melting glacier caused a river near the capital city to swell to historic levels amid a "glacial outburst" event that prompted flooding fears and evacuations. Emergency barriers installed through the city appeared to successfully funnel floodwaters away from neighborhoods as planned. As students begin returning to school and a couple of cold fronts have hinted at cooler temperatures to come, heat continues to blaze in some areas of the country. On August 10, neary 30 million people across the nation were enduring heat advisories or extreme heat warnings. Conditions caused concern in the Pacific Northwest on Aug. 11 and 12. Some Oregonians experienced consecutive days of record-breaking heat. U.S. weather officials have released a first fall forecast for the season, but it's not necessarily great news for some. Trump administration actions draw concern Controversy over the actions of the Trump administration has roiled environmental advocates on several fronts, including the proposed rollback of the agency's landmark endangerment finding and a report by a small group of experts drafted by the U.S. Department of Energy that contradicts major prior environmental reports. A report by the Arizona Republic found that experts say the rollback of the endangerment finding could undermine the nation's established framework for containing the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the intensification of heat waves, droughts and flooding. The EPA also has rescinded impairment ratings for some rivers. The agency rescinded a controversial decision to place seven segments of the Cedar, Des Moines, Iowa, Raccoon and South Skunk rivers on the state's list of impaired waters because of high nitrate levels. Energy action by Trump administration A Biden-era initiative to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle chargers has come to an abrupt halt after the Trump administration blocked any additional spending on the effort to install chargers at gas stations, rest stops and other locations. A coalition of Democrat-led states and nonprofits has sued to get the funding restarted, but there's been no final decision yet, and the installations remain on hold. But nuclear power is experiencing a kind of renaissance as it's championed by the new administration. The White House wants three new small-scale reactors fueled and running by the country's 250th anniversary next summer, in addition to endorsing expansions of existing plants. State wildlife officials at work In Florida, bear advocates were frustrated with a decision by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to approve a hunt of Florida black bears. The hunt comes a decade after the state's first bear hunt in years killed more bears than originally intended and further ignited tensions over hunting. Florida officials also recently concluded the state's annual python hunting championship, where hunters team up to try to help state officials eradicate the invasive species that preys on the state's native and protected species. In California, the state's Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to declare the Quino checkerspot butterfly a candidate for listing under the state's Endangered Species Act, after a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Endangered Habitats League. The imperiled butterfly is known for its red, black and cream-colored checkered wings


USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
How 'glacial outburst' flooding was averted in Alaska's capital city
The danger is over for residents of Alaska's capital city of Juneau, who were urged to evacuate on Aug. 13 as the nearby Mendenhall River, engorged by water from a glacial outburst caused by a melting glacier, surpassed record flood levels. Emergency barriers built to protect Mendenhall Valley and Juneau, a city of about 32,000 people in the Alaskan panhandle, were successful, USA TODAY reported. Most of Juneau's residents live in the valley. Two miles of HESCO barriers were installed along the river in June to mitigate summer flooding from the Mendenhall Glacier. Glacial flooding is driven by climate change, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The flood threat did not affect a planned summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled on Aug. 15 at a military base near Anchorage, more than 500 miles away. What happens when a melting glacier causes flooding? This is how a glacial outburst sent water toward the Mendenhall Valley, threatening Juneau. The Mendenhall Glacier is a river of ice about 12 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. It's moving from the Juneau Icefield in the Coast Mountains down the Mendenhall Valley to Mendenhall Lake, about 12 miles from Juneau. The glacier acts as a dam for nearby Suicide Basin, a lake-sized bowl that holds rainwater and annual snowmelt. As the glacier melts, it releases a large amount of water from the basin in what's called a glacial outburst. That water reaches Mendenhall Lake a day or two later and then enters the river, which could have flooded Juneau. Major flooding was prevented According to the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center, the amount of flooding in the Mendenhall Valley was determined by: ◾The amount of water in Suicide Basin. ◾The rate at which the water flows beneath Mendenhall Glacier and into Mendenhall Lake. ◾How the level of Mendenhall Lake rises. Barriers prevented flooding, but city officials asked evacuated residents to remain outside the area until notified it's safe to return. Water levels were predicted to drop rapidly following the crest, USA TODAY reported. Where in Alaska will Trump and Putin meet? Trump and the Russian president will meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a 13,000-square-acre U.S. military base in Anchorage, a White House official confirmed to USA TODAY. The two leaders are expected to discuss Russia's three-year war in Ukraine. CONTRIBUTING Trevor Hughes, Jeanine Santucci, Swapna Venogopal Ramaswamy SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; NASA Earth Observatory; NOAA, National Weather Service
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Will Tropical Storm Erin hit the US or turn? Here's what early forecasts say.
Tropical Storm Erin, which is still thousands of miles from the U.S. East Coast in the central Atlantic Ocean, is traveling west and forecast to strengthen into the season's first hurricane by Aug. 14, the National Hurricane Center said. But will it hit the United States? Most reliable computer models that meteorologists use to forecast storms show Erin curving away from the United States, spinning off the East Coast in mid-August. "It is too soon to discount – or pinpoint – USA landfall impacts from Erin but based upon current model guidance – the chance RIGHT NOW is low, at less than 10%," said Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue in an email to USA TODAY Aug. 11. WPLG-TV hurricane specialist Michael Lowry added a note of caution, telling USA TODAY that "it's worth reiterating that forecasts 5 to 10 days out are subject to large errors, so we'll need to hang tight before confidently giving the U.S. the all-clear." Maue predicted that "as the Lower 48 comes into view of Erin in the next few days, our models will become more confident/certain on the eventual outcome — so we should know on Thursday (Aug. 14) what will happen." However, even if Erin does avoid landfall on the United States, "there will be a significant increase in seas, surf and rip currents along the East Coast beaches next weekend into the following week," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Chad Merrill said. What forces are guiding Erin? As is often the case with Atlantic hurricanes, Erin's path will be primarily determined by the strength of the Bermuda High, a semi-permanent ridge of high pressure that sits over the western Atlantic Ocean in the summer. The stronger the Bermuda High, the more of a threat Erin is to the United States. A weaker Bermuda High is better news. "Erin will be guided along by the northeast trade winds initially and then the clockwise circulation around the massive Bermuda High over the central Atlantic," AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said. As of the morning of Aug. 12, the hurricane center reported that Erin should head west and slow down as the Bermuda High weakens slightly. Later in the forecast period, the high is expected to weaken a little more, and a more west-northwestward track is likely. Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza said the track forecast is in decent model agreement, "showing a good, tight track consensus through Sunday or Monday, bringing the storm north of the Caribbean islands." Warm waters could fuel major hurricane All signs point to Erin reaching major hurricane status, the hurricane center said. This means the storm will reach Category 3 status, with sustained wind speeds of at least 111 mph. The forecast is due to warm waters where the storm is expected to track, providing fuel for the storm, the hurricane center said. Low wind sheer could also help Erin strengthen There will also be a lack of wind shear that acts to tear developing hurricanes apart. "Low wind shear (a lack of disruptive winds) north of the Caribbean and much warmer water could really allow Erin to strengthen rapidly late this week and this weekend," AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno said in an online report. What parts of the US coast are most at risk? AccuWeather said that a major hurricane passing 100 miles east of the United States or west of Bermuda could still bring tropical storm conditions in terms of wind, heavy seas and perhaps heavy rain. "Land that extends farther to the east might be the most prone in this case, such as coastal areas of North Carolina, Long Island, New York, and Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in New England," said AccuWeather meteorologists Alex Sosnowski and Elizabeth Danco in an online report. In Canada, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland could be facing more significant impacts from Erin. How worried should people be? The hurricane center, as always, stressed caution: It is still too early to determine what impacts, if any, Erin may bring to the east coast of the United States, the hurricane center said Aug. 12. However, the hurricane center said "As we approach the climatological peak of the hurricane season, this is an opportune time to ensure your preparedness plans are in place." Checklist: How to prepare your house for a hurricane Lanza said the odds favor a miss: "History favors an out to sea track, though not at 100 percent. Of the 56 known named storms track within 120 nautical miles of Erin's forecast position in 24 hours, 51 of them have gone out to sea, a U.S. hit rate of about 9 percent." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Erin hit the U.S.? Here's what forecasters say. Solve the daily Crossword