The April deluges have prepared the ground for a record hay fever season, warn experts.
High rainfall has helped grass in parks and gardens across the capital grow rapidly, storing up a potential pollen “explosion” for the summer.
The Met Office released figures today showing that some parts of London had their wettest April since records began in 1910.
Hampstead had 146.8mm of rain, three times the monthly average and a level normally associated with places like the Lake District.
Met Office health business manager Patrich Sachon said: “The wet weather is definitely helping the grass grow so if we have dry weather in May and June it would mean a high grass pollen count, and grass pollen affects 95 per cent of sufferers.”
About one in five people suffers from hay fever, but last year the dry spring meant a low pollen count because grass died out.
Pollen counts are low because the rain washes the particles out of the air. But if the weather improves later this month the grass could dry out and start to produce huge amounts of pollen.
The Met Office has partnered with Benadryl to unveil a new pollen count app that uses social media to tell people where the worst areas are. The app is available to download or by visiting benadryl.co.uk/social-pollen-count
Dozens of flood alerts were still in place across the South-East today, many for the Thames.
