Humid weather is helping mould spores trigger hay fever

CAUGHT in a pattern of tropical weather that’s creeping around the equator, Adelaideans are suffering unseasonal hayfever, coping with plagues of bugs, and frizzed-out hairstyles.

Roy to Do Frizzy Hair Humid Weather

• Widespread rainfall recorded across South Australia
• FORECAST: Outlook for rest of the week

SOUTH Australia has swapped dry summer heat for a humid start to autumn and the whole state’s gone troppo.

Caught in a pattern of tropical weather activity that’s creeping around the equator, Adelaideans are suffering unseasonal hayfever, plagues of ants and other bugs, and frizzy hair. And we’ll have to sweat it out for a bit longer yet.

The weatherman says the muggy weather will stick around for the weekend, which means some people will be hit by mould-related hayfever.

Royal Adelaide Hospital immunologist Dr William Smith said mould ranks only behind pollen and cats and dogs as a cause of allergies.

“Spores float in the air and at this time of year we do see people with mould allergies,” he said. “It is quite common but not well recognised as an allergen. The spores float and there can be as much in the air as there is pollen.”

Dr Smith said treatment for hay fever brought on by mould is the same as hayfever caused by pollen – typically antihistamines and nasal spray.

But some people are reaching for the flyspray. University of South Australia professor of biology Chris Daniels said large numbers of ants and other insects was “indicative of the change of season” for SA.

“Ants come out because the earth softens and they can expand their underground nests; millipedes are in abundance because of the rain and the greening of plants,” he said.

Then, of course, there’ll be those going for the hairspray.

Orbe North Adelaide hairdresser Paige Virgo has explained the infamous frizz factor destroying hairdos all over the city.

“Basically, because of the moisture in the hair, it is breaking down bonds (in hair) and making it frizzy because the hair is going back to its natural state,” she said.

Ms Virgo said taming frizzy hair was tough, but not impossible.

“An anti-humidity spray helps to seal the hair and …even a tame frizz (smoothing) shampoo and conditioner would help,” she said.

Frizz victim Elise Mueller thinks it’s better just to wait for the weather to change.

“I straightened my hair in the morning and stepped outside and realised there was no point,” she said.

The humidity has come with heavy rain that has moved south from the tropical Top End.

Adelaide was soaked by 18.6mm of rain between 8.30pm on Wednesday and 5am on Thursday.

Across the state, significant rain was also recorded at Bute (77.5mm), Tarlee (50mm), Kadina (40.4mm), Cleve Airport (36.6mm), Nuriootpa (27.6mm), Pallamana (26mm), Marree Airport (25.6mm) and Roseworthy (24.6mm).

Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Darren Ray explained that our present weather is the result of a huge global weather system.

“The Madden-Julian oscillation, which is a pattern of tropical activity that moves in roughly a 60-day cycle along the equator from Africa, is a feature we watch closely at this time of year,” he said.

It’s muggy when

SNEEZING STRIKES

THE heavy rain and muggy weather is ideal for mould spores to form and float in the air.

If you are sneezing and feel like it’s a bad dose of hay fever, this is why.

Doctors recommend sufferers reach for the antihistamines or a nasal spray to calm their symptoms.

THERE’S BAD HAIR DAYS

IF anything is bad for a bad hair day, it’s humidity.

When the weather is humid, there is more moisture present in the air. Hair’s chemical structure is susceptible to changes in that amount of moisture – straight hair goes wavy and for the curly haired population, humidity sends your locks into meltdown, otherwise known as a frizzy afro.

To tame your mane, try using an oil or spray and if all else fails, tie your hair back.

YOUR HOME IS BUGGED

IF you’re seeing more bugs around at the moment, the weather has something to do with that too. Ants are trying to get back to their nests before the rain comes, spiders look for refuge inside the house and millipedes come from everywhere.

Animals are very conscious of weather changes and use cues from the earth to prepare them for those changes.