St. Petersburg & Clearwater Pollen & Allergy Guide

Where to Find a St. Petersburg Pollen Count

Pinellas County does not have a National Allergy Bureau (NAB) certified pollen counting station. The nearest one is at the University of South Florida in Tampa, across Old Tampa Bay (AAAAI). At certified stations, a rooftop instrument collects airborne particles over 24 hours, and the sample is analyzed in a lab for pollen types and concentration. Our Tampa guide covers that station and what decades of Tampa pollen research show.

St. Pete, Clearwater and Tampa share the same plants and seasons, so the USF count is a good regional guide to when oak, pine and grass seasons start and peak. It is not a Pinellas measurement, though, and USF has not always counted daily. Most apps that show a “St. Petersburg 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 own symptoms plus the nearest measured count to see 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.

Gulf Beaches and the Sea Breeze

Living by the water does not make seasonal allergies go away. ACAAI notes that beach towns still have plenty of trees, grasses, weeds and mold, and that pollen can travel far on the wind, with some types found up to 400 miles out to sea. St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Indian Rocks Beach and Clearwater Beach have the same seasons as the rest of the metro.

What changes on the beaches is the wind. On warm days the land heats faster than the water, and a sea breeze blows onshore, usually from late morning into the afternoon. At night the flow often reverses into a land breeze (NOAA). Air arriving off the Gulf has crossed open water rather than inland oak and pine, so some people feel better on the beaches on those afternoons. Overnight land breezes and easterly winds carry pollen from the mainland and the Pinellas peninsula toward the coast instead.

Red Tide Is Not Pollen, but It Can Feel Like Allergies

Florida red tide, a bloom of the alga Karenia brevis, occurs in the Gulf almost every year, generally in late summer or early fall. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says blooms are most common off Florida’s central and southwest coast between Clearwater and Sanibel Island, which puts the Pinellas beaches at the northern end of the usual range. When waves break open the cells, brevetoxins become airborne and can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, and itchy, watery eyes (FWC). People with asthma are most affected: in one study, asthma symptoms and lung function had not returned to baseline days after a single hour at a beach during an active red tide (Fleming et al., Environmental Health).

Red tide does not show up in pollen forecasts or counts. If your symptoms flare at the beach but not inland, check NOAA’s Gulf Coast red tide respiratory forecast for Pinellas beaches before you go.

Mold After Storms and Flooding

Hurricane Helene passed offshore in September 2024 and pushed record storm surge into Pinellas County. Water sensors on the barrier islands measured about 6.75 feet above the normal high-tide line (mean higher high water) at Clearwater Beach and 7.26 feet at Madeira Beach, and the St. Petersburg tide gauge, with records back to 1947, set a new high of 6.31 feet (National Hurricane Center). Flooding of any size can leave mold behind. CDC advises cleaning and drying wet areas and belongings within 24 to 48 hours, and treating anything that stayed wet longer as possibly moldy. Mold-allergic people should avoid doing heavy cleanup themselves or wear a well-fitted N95 respirator.

How St. Petersburg and Clearwater Rank in AAFA’s 2026 Allergy Capitals

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) ranked the Tampa metro area No. 29 of 100 in its 2026 Allergy Capitals report, where a lower number means a more challenging place to live with allergies. AAFA ranks metropolitan statistical areas, so its “Tampa, FL” listing covers the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metro. Its total score of 88.46 is above the 100-city average of 80.63. AAFA rated the area’s pollen score worse than average, and over-the-counter allergy medicine use and access to allergy specialists average. AAFA’s 2026 rankings are based on 2025 pollen data.