Welkom pollen forecast — St Helena neighborhood

Updated: 20 September 2026 at 14:33 CEST

Pollen Today

Low 17/100

Today (20 September) pollen in St Helena, Welkom is low; cypress, eucalyptus, mugwort, mulberry, plane, and nettle are low.

Pollen Tomorrow

Low 20/100

Tomorrow (21 September 2026) levels are similar to today.

7-Day Trend

Over the next week cypress, eucalyptus, mugwort, mulberry, plane, and nettle will decrease; grass and oak will remain stable.

Explore Forecasts

Get More in Our App

Local pollen and air quality forecasts, interactive pollen maps and route profiles

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Features and forecast availability vary by region.

Airmine app pollen map

Pollen Risk

Today - 20 September

Pollen species Level Value
Alder (Alnus)
None
0/100
Birch (Betula)
None
0/100
Hazel (Corylus)
None
0/100
Cypress (Cupressaceae)
Low
17/100
Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae)
Low
11/100
Grass (Poaceae)
None
0/100
Oak (Quercus)
None
0/100
Willow (Salicaceae)
None
0/100
Mugwort (Artemisia)
Low
7/100
Mulberry (Morus)
Low
15/100
Plane (Platanus)
Low
10/100
Nettle (Urtica)
Low
6/100

Tomorrow - 21 September

Pollen species Level Value 7-Day Trend
Alder (Alnus)
None
0/100
Birch (Betula)
None
0/100
Hazel (Corylus)
None
0/100
Cypress (Cupressaceae)
Low
20/100
Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae)
Low
13/100
Grass (Poaceae)
None
0/100
Oak (Quercus)
None
0/100
Willow (Salicaceae)
None
0/100
Mugwort (Artemisia)
Low
8/100
Mulberry (Morus)
Low
18/100
Plane (Platanus)
Low
12/100
Nettle (Urtica)
Low
8/100
ENVIRONMENT & ANALYSIS

Local Environmental Conditions

St Helena lies roughly 130 km north-northeast of Bloemfontein. At St Helena, acacia, eucalyptus, and Highveld grassland dominate the local pollen picture, with exposure varying between wooded residential streets and more open, built-up parts of town. Surrounding gold mining and processing operations adds further texture to the landscape, while farmland nearby contributes grass pollen through the summer rainfall months, consistent with the wider Highveld plateau environment.

St Helena's Highveld season opens in August with acacia and eucalyptus before grass from the surrounding grassland peaks through October and November. The dry winter months keep pollen low, while gold mining and processing operations nearby shapes the local landscape, and the summer rainfall pattern concentrates the main season into spring and early summer.

Get pollen & AQ on Strava

Follow your environmental exposure and performance with the free Airmine-Strava integration. See your pollen and air quality exposure for every Strava activity.

Resource Hub

Air quality for Welkom
Pollen forecast neighborhoods 2 neighborhoods
Sports venues in Welkom 1 sports venue

Frequently Asked Questions About Pollen in Free State

Is pollen high in Welkom right now?

On 20 September 2026, overall pollen levels in Welkom are low. Morus is the main contributor to airborne pollen, while myrtle, platanus, urtica, artemisia, and cypress remain at lower levels

Will pollen levels change in Welkom tomorrow?

On 21 September 2026, pollen conditions in Welkom will be similar to today, with morus at low levels, myrtle at low levels, platanus at low levels, urtica at low levels, artemisia at low levels, cypress at low levels

Is pollen expected to decrease in Welkom this week?

According to the five-day outlook, morus, myrtle, platanus, urtica, artemisia, and cypress pollen levels are expected to gradually decrease, suggesting improving conditions later in the week.

Which pollen types are currently active in Welkom?

On 20 September 2026, Morus is the dominant pollen source in Welkom. myrtle, platanus, urtica, artemisia, and cypress are also present but at lower levels. grass and oak are not currently active.

When is pollen season in Welkom?
St Helena's Highveld season opens in August with acacia and eucalyptus before grass from the surrounding grassland peaks through October and November. The dry winter months keep pollen low, while gold mining and processing operations nearby shapes the local landscape, and the summer rainfall pattern concentrates the main season into spring and early summer.
How often is the Welkom pollen forecast updated?

The Welkom pollen forecast is updated four times daily. See the timestamp below for the most recent update.

Does pollen in Welkom come from nearby or far away?

Studies show that most pollen exposure (often 70–90%) comes from nearby sources, such as local trees and vegetation. A good pollen forecast therefore depends on accurately representing local vegetation. Pollen can travel long distances, but this usually matters only early in the season or during specific wind events.

Are pollen levels in Welkom based on measurements or forecasts?

Pollen data is often misunderstood. Most "pollen levels" are not real-time measurements, but forecasts.

Direct pollen measurements are typically delayed by 1-2 days because they require manual analysis. To show current conditions in Welkom, modern forecasts combine recent measurements, weather data, and information about local vegetation.

This allows us to estimate pollen levels for today and the coming days, not just report the past.

Airmine’s atmospheric monitoring platform was developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) team, using satellite and Earth observation technologies to improve emissions monitoring.

Understanding the Scale

The 0–100 scores represent risk levels, not direct measurements of pollen or air pollutant concentrations. Higher scores indicate higher risk. Pollen and air quality use different thresholds.

Pollen

None
0 No or negligible risk of exposure. Pollen/mold exposure is expected to be minimal.
Low
0-25 Low risk of exposure. Small amounts of pollen or mold spores may be present.
Moderate
25-50 Moderate risk of exposure. Pollen/mold exposure is expected to be noticeable.
High
50-75 High risk of exposure. Elevated pollen/mold exposure is expected.
Very High
75-100 Very high risk of exposure. Pollen/mold exposure is expected to be at or near its highest levels.

Get More in the Airmine Pollen app

Get 15-day pollen forecasts with morning, afternoon and evening detail, plus 5-day air quality forecasts. Explore interactive pollen risk maps, estimated pollen season start, route profiles and a symptoms diary.

Features and forecast availability vary by region. Currently covering Europe, the contiguous US, southern Canada, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia (Java & Bali), Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and the Buenos Aires area.

Developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS).

Airmine app pollen map

Airmine’s atmospheric monitoring platform was developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) team, using satellite and Earth observation technologies to improve emissions monitoring. This page provides the latest public pollen forecast for Welkom.

Data provided by Airmine — Last update: 20 September 2026 at 14:33 CEST (Data is updated four times daily.)

Methodology & Technology

Our forecasts utilize high-resolution satellite imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission combined with a proprietary network of ground-based IoT sensors. Pollen forecasts are calculated by Airmine using satellites to map local vegetation and determine pollen season onset in a statistical prediction model, updated four times daily.

Unless explicitly made clear, the content on this site has not been paid for by external organisations and is Airmine's sole responsibility.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for environmental awareness only and does not constitute medical advice. Athletes with known respiratory conditions or severe allergies should consult their physician before participating in strenuous outdoor activities based on these forecasts.

Some text on this page may be generated or summarised using artificial intelligence (AI). Wherever possible, AI-generated content is enriched with Airmine's proprietary data to improve its accuracy and relevance. However, AI-generated content may still contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.