Cedar Fever in Houston
Measured counts from the Houston Health Department · Thursday, July 23, 2026
"Cedar fever" is the intense winter allergy reaction many Texans get to mountain cedarpollen — actually a juniper, Juniperus ashei, in the cypress family (Cupressaceae). Despite the name, it isn't a fever or an infection: it's a classic pollen allergy that can feel like a bad cold, with sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, fatigue and sometimes a low-grade temperature.
When is cedar fever season in Houston?
Mountain cedar pollinates in the dead of winter, roughly December through February, peaking in late December and January. Houston sits east of the dense cedar brakes of the Texas Hill Country, but on dry, windy days enormous amounts of cedar pollen ride the wind hundreds of miles east — so Houston can record cedar pollen even though relatively little grows here. That's why cedar fever often arrives suddenly, on the back of a cold front.
Why mountain cedar hits so hard
A single male cedar tree can release visible clouds of pollen, and the grains are small, light and produced in staggering quantities. Because it peaks when little else is pollinating, a winter spike in the tree pollen count is very often cedar. If your "winter cold" returns at the same time every year, cedar fever is a likely suspect — an allergist can confirm it with testing.
Track it day by day
We publish the Health Department's measured tree pollen count every weekday, so you can see when cedar is actually in the air rather than relying on a forecast. Check theTrees & Grass page for the species breakdown — cedar appears asCupressaceae — and the trends page to see the winter spike in context. For relief strategies and how the scale works, see the FAQ.