While most people reach for the suncream, others have been left sniffing, sneezing and wheezing.
The warm and dry conditions are the perfect catalyst for an early surge in the levels of tree pollen.
Beverley Adams-Groom, chief palynologist at the National Pollen and Aerobiology unit at Worcester University, said: “We have got hazel and particularly alder trees in flower at the moment.
“We have perfect conditions for pollen release for these particular trees.
“They don’t need high temperatures, they just need dry weather and some breeze. The warmer and drier it is, the better it is for them.”
Nottingham-based GP Dr Ian Campbell said hayfever sufferers had been coming to collect their prescriptions earlier than usual.
He said: “In the last 10 days patients have started asking for their medication.
“These are people whose symptoms usually start in April.
More patients are presenting with tree pollen hayfever than before
Andrew Williams, consultant nurse in allergy at Homerton University Hospital, London, said: “Most people in the UK with tree pollen allergy suffer from birch pollen hayfever in April and May.
“However, more patients are presenting with tree pollen hayfever than before.”
He added that for those allergic to more uncommon allergens the hayfever season and their need for treatments could be extended “by a good two to three months”. Dr Stephen Till, lecturer in allergy at King’s College London, warned that high pollen levels can also trigger asthma attacks.
He said: “Pollen can cause asthma attacks. Grass pollen is more associated with attacks than tree pollen.
“But if you are tree pollen allergic, your immune system can’t really tell the difference.”