The pollen season has arrived early this year and is already causing misery for sufferers of hay fever.
Most people don't suffer from symptoms until April but high temperatures may see it arrive several weeks early.
The pollen count is already at Medium in some areas of the country, including the South West, according to Manchester Evening News.
Hay fever expert and pollen forecaster, Dr Beverley Adams-Groom, said: "We are likely to see an early start to the birch pollen season, which affects around 25 per cent of hay fever sufferers in the spring.
"The season usually starts in early April but could start in mid-to-late March this year.
"The grass pollen season (usually starting in late May/early June) could be on the early side too but it's too soon to say because it's the weather in late March and April that mainly affects it."
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According to the Met Office, pollen season is split into three sections.
- Tree pollen - late March to mid-May.
- Grass pollen - mid-May to July.
- Weed pollen - end of June to September.
A Met Office spokesperson confirmed the tree pollen season had started early this year due to the hot spell at the end of February.
“There is no single pollen season, as different plants shed pollen at different times of year," he said.
"The tree pollen season is traditionally the earliest to start and this has been prompted to start early this year, in part due to the hot spell at the end of February.
Not all sufferers are allergic to tree pollen, but for those who are it is fair to say that the season has started somewhat earlier than normal.
"Most sufferers are allergic to grass pollen, which traditionally starts in summer. We’ll continue to provide alerts when peaks of pollen are forecast.”
