Community Corner

Pollen Count in New Jersey is Breaking Records

The pollen count numbers recorded in March usually do not occur until the middle of April, according to a Rutgers University allergy specialist.

New Jersey just finished the warmest March month on record, said New Jersey State Climatologist Dave Robinson.

New Jersey also registered the highest pollen count on record, according to Dr. Leonard Bielory, an allergy specialist with the Rutgers Center of Environmental Prediction at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. He’s been researching the data for the past 25 years and has not seen anything quite like it.

“The numbers we saw in March normally do not occur till mid-April, with birch pollen release," he said. "Such numbers have not been recorded since 1994/1995."

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Bielory and colleagues at the Center for Environmental Prediction have been studying the impact of climate change in New Jersey and throughout the U.S. for the potential impact of allergies.

Bielory is also director of the STARx Allergy and Asthma Center in Springfield. He is a certified member of the National Allergy Bureau of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's Aeroallergen Network that is responsible for reporting current pollen levels to the public. His responsibilities include providing up-to-date pollen information online at NYNJPollen.com and to the NAB website

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