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Why 2025 could be a sneezy summer for hay fever sufferers

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It's officially British Summer Time, which means it's hopefully time for sunnier days, better weather and beautiful flowers.

That also means there is about to be more pollen in the air, which can be bad news for hay fever sufferers.

For some people, pollen leads to hay fever. That can mean sneezing, itchy eyes and a runny nose - especially if you're outside more often in the nice weather.

Scientists say this year could be a particularly bad one for people with hay fever.

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What is hay fever?

Top tips for beating the Hay fever blues

  • Hay fever is an allergy. People who have it are allergic to pollen.

  • Pollen is a type of fine powder which is released by lots of different plants and trees.

  • There are three different types of pollen - tree pollen, grass pollen and weed pollen.

  • There are lots of proteins in pollen which can cause your nose, eyes and throat to become swollen or irritated if you are allergic to it.

  • If you have hay fever you might suffer from an itchy throat, itchy eyes, a runny nose, or sneezing. All of these are signs of your body is trying to protect itself by getting rid of the pollen.

Why might this year be different?

Twig and florescence of a hazel tree with small dots of out of focus pollen. Getty Images

The release of pollen can often trigger people's hay fever

The Met Office, which is the UK's national weather service, has launched its annual pollen forecast.

It is already predicting that tree pollen will be worse in 2025 than it was last year because of the warm temperatures we had last summer.

About a quarter of people with hay fever are affected by tree pollen, and most hay fever sufferers are allergic to grass pollen. So you might not be too affected.

It's still too early to say what the forecast will look like for grass pollen, but the monitoring will continue until September.

Tips for dealing with hay fever symptoms

Little boy sneezing in a green meadowGetty Images

There are some things that hay fever sufferers can do to reduce their symptoms

Although there is no cure for hay fever, people who have it can manage the symptoms in many different ways.

Top tips include:

  • Wearing sunglasses to help stop some as much pollen getting into your eyes.

  • Avoiding freshly cut grass.

  • Changing your clothes if you have been outside.

  • Not spending too long outside in the early evening when the pollen count can be higher.

  • Closing your windows at night-time.