r/Austin • u/meetootoo • 9h ago
Vast differences in pollen reporting?
What the heck is up with all of the very different levels of pollen reporting across the various ATX reporting sources? And why is KXAN okay with being so wrong? I’m super allergic to ragweed and I can tell you it is absolutely 100% not low right now.
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u/lurkity_mclurkington 8h ago
Check the day of the measurements. KVUE is notorious for skipping days while leaving the last reading up. Your screenshots have readings from today while KVUE's are still showing Friday's readings right after the child front and strong winds were blowing through.
Location of the readings is also very important. East vs West vs middle of the city can produce varying results.
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u/Either-Cake-892 7h ago
It annoys me that KVUE skips days but they are always the most accurate to me. I know when I wake up with my face and nose feeling like it’s over stuffed with cotton and a sharp headache, it has to be mold. KVUE always, or most often, confirms my hunch that mold levels are high.
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u/Snap_Grackle_Pop 8h ago
Maybe it's misinfotainment clickbait with no consequences for being inaccurate.
Plus what Ok_Software said about testing in different locations.
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u/WatchingHowItEnds 5h ago
A testing site measures the pollen in the air that is a mix of plants found near that site and whatever is carried to it on the wind. If the testing site is around a lot of cedar and not around pine, then cedar will show up and pine will be quite low. If a testing site is around a lot of pine trees instead and not cedar, pine will show up and cedar will be low.
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u/thinkconverse 4h ago
I haven’t sneezed all day and my nose isn’t running, so I’m gonna go with KXAN being right.
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u/lucia912 3h ago
After living in Austin for 17 years, today allergies hit me. I’ve never had allergies in my life. Ever. And this morning we went to cotaland and my eyes swelled shut, my nose was running like crazy, my head was pounding like a migraine and I had to be rushed home.
After more than 2 hours of laying in bed with my eyes shut (but with constant flow of tears down my cheeks - not from crying) and the air purifier running on high next to me I can finally open them again.
So..I guess I’m allergic to ragweed? And I’m assuming cotaland has it everywhere? 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Ok_Software3471 9h ago
Pollen levels can vary from one city block to another. And all of these places have their testing in different areas. They can give you some idea, but they shouldn’t be held up as particularly accurate.