Unusually high mold count aggravating allergies in Philly area

If your allergies have been bothering you more than usual in recent days, mold spores could be to blame.

The latest readings for the Philadelphia area show that pollen is nearly nonexistent and ragweed is low or very low.

Mold spore counts, however, were very high Tuesday, after having gone into the extreme zone Monday.

Donald Dvorin, head allergist from the Asthma Center and a pollen counter with the National Allergy Bureau, said weather conditions were behind the explosion of mold spores in the air.

“We are seeing extreme levels of outdoor mold spores due to warm temperatures and high humidity,” Dvorin said Monday. “It is unusual for October to be seeing these longer periods of elevation in temperatures.”

Dvorin said that rain overnight and cooler temperatures helped to bring down mold spore counts on Tuesday.