Hayfever hell in west and central Spain forecast for spring

Pollen forecasts issued by the Spanish Allergy and Immunology Clinic (SEAIC)'s Aerobiology Committee are similar to those of last spring, but levels in 2017 were lower than expected due to warmer than average temperatures in April and May.

The Committee says southern Castilla-La Mancha will see moderate to high pollen counts over the next three months, especially in the province of Ciudad Real and even more so in Toledo, both south of Madrid, and also to a certain degree in Madrid itself, both the city and the wider region.

Extremadura as a whole is likely to be affected, as are the Andalucía provinces of Jaén and especially Sevilla, and the Basque Country province of Vitoria.

Aragón and Castilla y León will see 'moderate' pollen levels, between 4,000 and 6,000 grains per cubic metre of air, although less so than in the other areas mentioned.

Toledo is expected to have the highest pollen count in Spain between the end of March and late June.

In the Mediterranean area, the province of Barcelona will see the highest pollen levels, although these will still be lower than in the south-western and south-central mainland.

Severe hayfever sufferers planning a trip to Spain but unsure where to go to avoid the pollen clouds should be safe on the Mediterranean outside of Barcelona, since the count is likely to be low, or in the Canary Islands where forecasts are for 'very low' pollen levels – a maximum of 500 grains per cubic metre of air.