Millions of Brits face allergy hell this weekend as storms and high pollen combine to create a dangerous “thunder fever”, experts warned.
Asthma sufferers are being warned to "stay indoors with the windows closed" because of a combination of a high pollen count and thunderstorms across the UK over the weekend.
Thunder can crack grass pollen into easily respirable particles that can trigger severe asthma as the particles can get more easily into the depths of the lungs.
Asthma UK advised sufferers who struggle with pollen that "thunderstorms can have a devastating impact on people with asthma and trigger an asthma attack which could be fatal."
Scattered thunderstorms are predicted from Saturday to Monday across the UK.
Experts says thunder can turn the pollen into smaller fragments which then become a problem for asthma sufferers when inhaled deeply into the lungs.
It is estimated that 3.3 million people in the UK say their asthma is triggered by pollen.
Sonia Munde, Head of Services at Asthma UK said: "Stormy conditions break the pollen into much smaller particles, which are then inhaled more deeply into the lungs and can lead to life threatening asthma attacks.
"People with asthma who struggle with pollen should try to stay indoors with the windows closed during thunderstorms."
Ms Munde also told Asthma sufferers to take hay fever medicine such as antihistamines and nasal steroid spray to help "reduce the risk of an asthma attack."
Thunder storms are set to hit south west England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the weekend.
Forecasters have warned that hours of heavy rain is expected to fall in London and the south east on Saturday afternoon. There is only a low risk of thunderstorms.
In 2016, nine people were killed in Melbourne after the Australian city was hit by 'thunder fever'. Over 8,000 people were hospitalised.
The conditions in the UK come after days of unusually hot and sunny weather for May.
Hot weather May 2018
This week's early May Bank Holiday was the hottest on record as temperatures soared 28.7C in west London.
