Why I Built PollenTracker

My name is Peter. I became a first-time dad at 34. My older son Anan is six years old — the kind of kid who'd live outside if you let him. Riding his bike, chasing bugs, digging in the dirt. But Anan is severely allergic to pollen.

Every spring and fall, the same thing happens. We head to the park, and within minutes his nose is running, he can't stop sneezing, and he's scratching his arms and legs because everything itches. I watch him go from excited to miserable in the time it takes to walk from the car to the playground. My younger son has allergies too — so outdoor family time always feels like a roll of the dice.

Every morning I found myself asking the same two questions: “Should we go outside today?” and “If yes, what time is safest?”

I tried checking pollen counts, air quality indexes, weather apps — each on a different site, each throwing raw numbers at me. None of them gave me an actual answer. I didn't need data. I needed someone to just tell me: yes, no, or be careful. So I built it myself.

PollenTracker pulls pollen levels, air quality, and weather together into one clear decision — plus hourly breakdowns so you know which hours are safest to head out. It covers 200+ cities across the US and UK, so you can check conditions before a weekend trip too.

The core features — daily decisions, pollen counts, air quality, forecasts — are free for everyone, no account needed. PollenTracker is a passion project built for families like mine, and I'm committed to keeping the essentials free for every family that needs them.

I built this because my family needed it. If it helps one more kid like Anan get a few extra hours of outdoor play, it's done its job.