Tampa Pollen & Allergy Guide

Tampa’s Local Pollen Count

Tampa has a National Allergy Bureau (NAB) certified pollen counting station, run by the University of South Florida (AAAAI). WUSF has reported that USF Health’s sampler sits on the roof of the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare on the Tampa campus. 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 (AAAAI). Results are posted on the AAAAI NAB station page for USF Tampa.

USF has not posted a new count every day. In 2018 WUSF reported weekly counts, so the newest measured number may be several days old. Use it to see where the season stands, and the forecast on this page for today and the next few days.

Oak dominates Tampa’s spring counts. Dr. Richard Lockey, then director of USF Health’s Division of Allergy and Immunology, told WUSF that the area has 11 oak species that pollinate one after another, from about late January into May, and that oak counts had reached about 6,000 grains per cubic meter in February 2018. That is four times the NAB threshold for a “very high” tree day.

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 the measured count to see what has 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.

What Tampa Pollen Research Shows

USF researchers ran a daily pollen survey in Tampa from January 1979 through December 1981 (Bucholtz et al., Annals of Allergy). They found:

• A major tree season from December through May: oak, pine, Australian pine, bald cypress, cedar, bayberry (wax myrtle) and mulberry.
• A minor tree season in October and November, mainly Australian pine and elm.
• Grass pollen in every month, most common from April through October.
• A major weed season from May through December: ragweed, Mexican tea, pigweed, dog fennel and false nettle, plus a minor spring weed season of sorrel and dock.

The survey is more than 40 years old, and season timing shifts from year to year with weather. But it remains the most detailed published record of which plants put pollen into Tampa’s air, and its seasons match the calendar above.

Tampa vs. St. Petersburg and Clearwater

Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater share the same trees, grasses and seasons. Pinellas County has no certified station of its own, so the USF count is also the nearest measured count for the St. Petersburg and Clearwater side of the bay.

The main difference is the water. 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). Gulf-front Pinellas beaches get that Gulf air first, after it has crossed open water rather than inland oak and pine, so some people feel better there on those afternoons. Afternoon summer storms knock pollen down across the whole metro but raise mold levels afterward.

How Tampa Ranks 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.