14 October 2026

Thunderstorm asthma season is approaching, but preparation does not start with a weather forecast. From emergency planning and specialist care to patient education and research, teams across Austin Health are working together to help keep our community safe.

Thunderstorm asthma season typically occurs between October and December, when high grass pollen levels can combine with specific storm conditions to trigger asthma symptoms and breathing difficulties.

While thunderstorm asthma events remain uncommon, their impact can be significant. 10 years ago, Melbourne experienced a major thunderstorm asthma event that led to the tragic deaths of 10 people, affected many more patients, and put the health system under strain.

Based on the experiences from a decade ago, Austin Health maintains a dedicated thunderstorm asthma response framework that outlines how teams would respond to a sudden surge in patient demand. The plan includes arrangements for staffing, patient flow, treatment areas, communications, respiratory support, pharmacy services and coordination across the organisation.

On high-risk thunderstorm asthma days, operational teams review forecasts, assess potential risks and ensure readiness across the health service.

It takes a hospital

Responding to thunderstorm asthma is not the responsibility of a single team.

Emergency clinicians, respiratory physicians, pharmacists, intensive care teams, operational leaders, administrative teams, and support services all play an important role in the response. Preparedness depends on coordinated planning and collaboration across the organisation.

The response framework also includes arrangements for additional staffing, treatment spaces, patient flow and staff wellbeing support should demand increase rapidly.

Supporting patients before, during and after an event

Preparedness extends beyond the hospital's internal response.

Austin Health supports patients through education, action plans, treatment packs and specialist follow-up pathways designed to help people manage their condition and reduce future risk. Austin Health's Thunderstorm Asthma Action Plan includes advice on recognising symptoms, medication management and reducing risk during high pollen periods.

What we've learned

Research continues to improve understanding of thunderstorm asthma and who is most at risk. Researchers at Austin Health and the Institute for Breathing and Sleep have been involved in significantly improving our understanding of thunderstorm asthma over the past 10 years.

The TAISAR study, which involved researchers from Austin Health, found that people with seasonal allergic rhinitis, asthma and ryegrass pollen allergy are among those at increased risk of thunderstorm asthma. The study reinforced the importance of asthma control, prevention and understanding individual risk factors before thunderstorm asthma season begins.

Research continues to play an important role in improving understanding of thunderstorm asthma and identifying people who may be at increased risk. Building on lessons from past events, a new study is investigating biological markers associated with ryegrass pollen-induced asthma and thunderstorm asthma. Participants are providing symptom information, asthma-control data, lung function measurements and allergy testing across multiple pollen seasons, helping researchers better understand how pollen exposure, weather conditions and individual risk factors interact.

The long-term goal is to improve prevention, support earlier identification of people at risk and inform future clinical guidelines, public health strategies and policy. This research has the potential to help reduce the burden of ryegrass pollen-induced and thunderstorm asthma across the community.

Looking ahead

While major thunderstorm asthma events remain rare, preparedness remains essential.

For Austin Health, that means planning, collaboration and continuous improvement. For the community, it means understanding risk, maintaining asthma action plans and staying informed throughout thunderstorm asthma season.

You can find out more about respiratory and sleep medicine at Austin Health here, and you can learn about the research being done by the Institute for Breathing and Sleep here.