Pollen in Spain today

Pollen in Spain: why check it

Pollen allergy (pollinosis) affects around 8 million people in Spain, making it the country's most common chronic environmental disease. Checking the daily pollen forecast helps anticipate peaks, fine-tune the medication prescribed by the allergist and plan outdoor activities. WhatAWeather displays levels for 20 representative cities covering Spain's six major aerobiological patterns: centre, Mediterranean, south, Atlantic north, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands.

Sources and official network

Data come from the European CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) model served by Open-Meteo, complemented with the seasonal calendar of the Spanish Aerobiology Network (REA) coordinated by the SEAIC Aerobiology Committee. The REA operates more than 70 Hirst-type sampling stations measuring grains per cubic metre of air for each species. For official validation visit polenes.com from SEAIC and your regional network.

Relevant pollens in Spain

Grasses (the most prevalent allergen, peak May-June), olive (May, maximum in Andalusia), cypress and Arizona cypress (January-March, emerging urban allergen), London plane (March-April, top cause of pollinosis in Madrid), birch (February-April, northern Spain), pellitory (year-round, Mediterranean coast), nettle/urticaceae (spring and summer) and ragweed or salsola (late summer, on the rise). Each has its own phenological window captured in the annual calendar.

Climate change and pollen

In the last two decades the pollen season has shifted 7-15 days earlier for several species and peak concentrations have intensified. Plants with early winter cycles (cypress, alder) are particularly sensitive. Extreme episodes correlated with intermittent drought, urban pollution and heatwaves can worsen symptoms. Specific immunotherapy and medical follow-up are the only therapies with evidence of disease-modifying effect.