Why Victorians can expect worse than usual hayfever this season

Victorians are being warned the coming months will be particularly bad for hayfever, and La Nina is to blame.

Hayfever expert from the School of BioSciences at Melbourne University, Dr Edwin Lamugnani, says heavy rain triggers hayfever.

“One of the things that triggers hayfever is grass pollen and with all that extra rain that does mean there will be more grass growing, and all that extra rain that’s happening in Northern Victoria, it’s really setting us up for a bumpy year in north Victoria,” he told Neil Mitchell.

Whether Melburnians cop the worst of the hayfever will depend on what happens in November.

“The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a cooler than average November, and that’s usually associated with southerly winds, so to bring that pollen down from northern Victoria we really need westerlies,” Dr Lamugnani said.

The number of people experiencing hayfever last spring was double the usual figure, and this year is on track to match that.

Press PLAY below to hear why hayfever is expected to be more severe this season