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Today's air quality — and in season, pollen — for Reading, updated hourly, with the IDR, Cemetery Junction and Caversham Road hotspots called out.
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A plain-language check on the air over Reading — and, in season, the pollen count. Updated through the day.
Fair Fine for being outside, including exercise, for almost everyone.
Peak modelled counts for today. Hay fever symptoms typically start when counts pass about 50 grains/m³ — grass is the one that affects most people in the UK (May–July); birch is a spring tree pollen (March–May).
| Pollen | Level | Peak today |
|---|---|---|
| Grass | Low | 2 grains/m³ |
| Birch | Low | 0 grains/m³ |
| Day | Air quality | Grass pollen |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 25 Aug | Fair | Low |
| Wed 26 Aug | Fair | Low |
| Thu 27 Aug | Fair | Low |
| Fri 28 Aug | Fair | — |
Reading's nitrogen dioxide readings are highest along the IDR ring road (Malcolm Place and the Pinnacle), at Cemetery Junction in east Reading, and on Caversham Road in the town centre — all busy traffic corridors. Vehicle emissions are the main cause. The council's Air Quality Action Plan 2024-2029 sets out measures to cut traffic pollution at these hotspots; most of the borough reads Good or Fair, so this page is for spotting the exceptions on the routes above.
Grass pollen peaks in June and July in the Thames Valley and drives most UK hay fever. On high days, counts are often worst in the early morning and again in the early evening as pollen lifts and settles.
Updated . These are modelled estimates for the area around Reading town centre, not readings from a street monitor — air right beside a busy road can be worse than the area-wide picture. The official index where you are is the Daily Air Quality Index on UK-AIR. Official forecast: uk-air.defra.gov.uk. Air quality data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), based on Copernicus CAMS.
Fair
European Air Quality Index 28 · Reading town centre