As weather conditions are unexpectedly changing across NSW, experts are warning individuals to be aware and prepare for the upcoming bushfire and severe storm seasons that are expected to affect people with asthma in the coming months.
Australians across the country are expected to see a shift in the weather forecasts as fluctuating rainfall and temperature patterns are likely to approach during the October to December season.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has revealed data about the long-range forecast, which reflects the above average temperatures experienced across Australia for the upcoming months.
BoM senior climatologist, Felicity Gamble, has predicted that this spring will bring unusually warm temperatures.
“It’s not just increased chance of being above average, but increased chance of being unusually warm and that means in that top 20 percent of the historical range,” she said.
According to Asthma Australia, people who are diagnosed with asthma or hay fever are more likely to be at risk of thunderstorm asthma, during spring.
The effects of allergies can impact individuals differently, with studies found by allergy specialists in the Australiasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), that asthma flares can be triggered when the exposure of pollen and airborne allergies irritates the airways, leading to coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
Local rigger, Rodney Ardler, says that the dusty weather triggers his asthma throughout certain times of the year,
“When pollen season comes out, I start to feel it in my chest like a chest infection, so that makes my asthma worse and at different times it’s better like summer,”
“The weather can change my asthma like in dusty weather.”
To prevent the triggers of allergies and asthma during extreme weather conditions such as thunderstorms and hot, humid days, the National Asthma Council has outlined precautions for individuals to follow to reduce their risk of being exposed to pollen
- Avoid going outdoors on days where the weather conditions are windy or rainy to prevent the exposure of pollen.
- Using your prescribed remedy like an asthma reliever or allergen medication before going outdoors, on days when pollen cannot be avoided.
- Wearing a facemask in situations where you cannot avoid the high exposure of pollen in a particular area such as gardening, tractor driving, harvesting around weeds or grasses.
With asthma and bushfire season approaching the states across Australia, people who have seasonal allergies should be aware of the changes in the weather as data from the BOM found that most days and nights will have an increase in unusually warm temperatures.
However, throughout the start of October, two-thirds of eastern Australia likely to have a 60% to 80% chance of rainfall as weather conditions will shift from dry to wet over the coming months.
Specialists from the ASCIA have researched the triggers of how the shift in weather can affect asthmatics.
By monitoring your local area’s weather and air quality using apps such as AirRater or AusPollen, individuals are able to take preventative measures to avoid the exposure of being outdoors or near pollen.
