Grasses are notorious for their dramatic sense of timing. Timothy, Bermuda, Kentucky bluegrass—each has its own release schedule, like rival pop stars dropping albums at different months. The real villain? Bermuda grass. It can pollinate from May all the way through September in the South, making it the Taylor Swift of the pollen world—omnipresent and impossible to ignore.
Here’s the good news: once the grasses have shot their wad, they’re done until next year. Pollen counts peak when temperatures hit the 70s and 80s, and drop sharply once sustained heat or frost arrives. Frost is the ultimate mic drop for grass pollen—after a hard freeze, the season is effectively over.
How to Know When It’s Actually Over
You can obsess over your local allergy forecast app—and honestly, you probably should. But there’s a more intuitive sign: when you stop waking up with that gravelly throat and your morning run no longer feels like a nasal obstacle course. Trust your nose; it’s the best pollen detector you’ve got.
Another clue? Watch the sunset. Grasses typically release pollen in the early morning, so if you’re still sniffling at dusk, it might not be grass at all—could be ragweed or mold stepping in to ruin your autumn (rude). That’s why meteorologists often say the end of grass season is a handoff, not a finish line.
How bad is pollen today? Why allergies seem worse than ever – NBC New York
