The Japan Weather Association has announced its 2013 hay fever forecast, with good news for Kyushu! Next spring, the pollen count for Kyushu and Shikoku areas is going to be around 70% lower than usual! Elsewhere in the country– from Chugoku to Hokkaido it will be higher than usual, and Tokyo, Kanto and Tohoku can expect 1.5 times more pollen in the air than usual. On the whole, the 2013 average pollen count in Japan is estimated to be between 2~5 times higher than 2012, due to this summer’s above average temperatures. The amount of pollen in the air in spring, especially from Japanese cedar and hinoki (Japanese cypress), depends on the previous summer’s weather. Conditions such as high temperatures, long daylight hours and low rainfall contribute to an increase in the following spring’s pollen count. Northern Kyushu’s average summer temperatures for summer 2012 were higher than previous years, however daylight hours were shorter and there was more rainfall than usual. Southern Kyushu experienced average temperatures, very short daylight hours and a considerably larger amount of rainfall than usual. So, good news for hay fever sufferers– there should be 70% less pollen produced in Kyushu in spring! The Japan Weather Association’s more detailed report will be sold as “Hay Scatter Forecast Data of April 2013”, but you can check the graphic for more details: blue~purple denotes low pollen count, orange~green is average to high pollen count, and red denotes high pollen count. Source: Japan Weather Association HP http://www.jwa.or.jp/content/view/full/4691/
