Orlando Pollen & Allergy Guide

Orlando’s Local Pollen Count

Orlando does not currently have an active National Allergy Bureau (NAB) certified pollen counting station. AAAAI’s NAB data list includes a historical Orlando site, Station 145 at the Allergy & Asthma Center of East Orlando (AAAAI), and that site’s counts were used in published pollen research covering 2006–2007 (Wozniak and Steiner, Geoscientific Model Development). Pollen Science, which tracks NAB-network locations, lists the Oviedo site in the Orlando metro, and Ocala to the north, as inactive. It lists only Jacksonville and Tampa as active in Florida.

The nearest active certified station is at the University of South Florida in Tampa, about 80 miles west along I-4. Tampa and Orlando share the same oak, pine, grass and ragweed seasons, so the USF count is a good guide to where the Central Florida season stands. See our Tampa guide for how that station works, and note that USF has not always posted counts daily. It is not an Orange County measurement, though, and most apps that show an “Orlando pollen count” are showing a modeled estimate, like the forecast on this page.

Pollen Count vs. Pollen Index

A pollen count is a measurement: grains of pollen per cubic meter of air, sampled over a past period, usually 24 hours. A pollen index like the 0–5 forecast above is a model’s estimate for today and the next few days. The two can disagree, especially on windy or rainy days. Use the forecast to plan ahead, and your symptoms plus the Tampa count to judge what has actually been in the air.

NAB levels differ by pollen type. A “high” grass day starts at just 20 grains per cubic meter, while trees need 90, so you can’t compare a grass number to an oak or pine number directly.

Summer Storms, Pollen and Mold in Orlando

Orlando sits in the middle of the peninsula, where the Atlantic and Gulf sea breezes often meet on summer afternoons. The National Weather Service in Melbourne describes this collision as the “Florida Rain Machine,” and says it is the main reason the inland area between Tampa and Cape Canaveral is often called the lightning capital of the United States (NWS Melbourne).

For allergies, that pattern cuts both ways. Mornings are often hot and calm, a good setup for grass pollen to build. Afternoon storms then wash pollen out of the air, but the rain, heat and humidity that follow push outdoor mold spores up. Thunderstorms can also break pollen grains into tiny fragments that reach deeper into the lungs, which has been linked to “thunderstorm asthma” flare-ups (ACAAI). If you have asthma, try to be indoors before storms roll in, not just during them.

Unlike Tampa, St. Pete or the Space Coast, Orlando doesn’t get much relief from cleaner onshore sea-breeze air. By the time a breeze reaches the metro, it has crossed miles of inland oak, pine and pasture grass.

How Orlando Ranks in AAFA’s 2026 Allergy Capitals

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) ranked the Orlando metro area No. 33 of 100 in its 2026 Allergy Capitals report, where a lower number means a more challenging place to live with allergies. Its total score of 86.27 is above the 100-city average of 80.63. AAFA rated the area’s pollen score average, over-the-counter allergy medicine use worse than average, and access to allergy specialists average. AAFA ranks metropolitan areas, so its “Orlando, FL” listing covers the wider metro, including Kissimmee and Sanford. AAFA’s 2026 rankings are based on 2025 pollen data.

Other Florida metros ranked higher, meaning more challenging. Lakeland was No. 20 and Palm Bay–Melbourne No. 24, and the Tampa metro No. 29 (AAFA). See our Tampa and Fort Myers guides for how the Gulf Coast compares.

Winter Park, Sanford, Apopka and Nearby Towns

We don’t publish separate pages for smaller Central Florida towns, because their pollen seasons and plants are the same as Orlando’s, and none has its own certified counting station. If you live in or are visiting Winter Park, Maitland, Altamonte Springs, Oviedo, Sanford, Apopka, Kissimmee, Lake Nona or Clermont, use this page.

• Winter Park and Maitland – heavy oak canopy and lakefront landscaping make the spring tree peak especially noticeable.
• Sanford and Oviedo – Seminole County shares Orlando’s seasons. Oviedo was once home to a Central Florida pollen monitoring site, now inactive (Pollen Science).
• Apopka and Clermont – nurseries, pasture and open land to the northwest and west add Bahiagrass and weed pollen in summer and fall.
• Kissimmee and Lake Nona – newer neighborhoods with lots of turf grass and young landscape trees, plus the same summer mold spike.