Something is in the air - and on the trees, the cars and just about everything else.

With more than a week and a half since the last rainfall, the Augusta area has been covered in a fine blanket of pollen.

"For a good solid week now it's just been building up, and with no sign of rain in the forecast until the weekend, it's just going to get worse the next several days," said Al Moore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in West Columbia, S.C.

By Wednesday, the area will be within a few percentage points of the highest rating for the sneeze-inducing yellow particles, Mr. Moore said.

But the pollen is not bad news for everyone.

Ron Perry, the owner of The Shine Shop at 418 Furys Ferry Road, said his express car wash service has been booming.

"For me, I'm happier than a hack," Mr. Perry said. "I never thought I'd say this, but I love pollen."

People are avoiding a full detail job because they know the pollen will be back on the car within a day, said Mr. Perry, who offers both express and detail cleaning.

"Pollen's been good for us," Mr. Perry said.

Yellow doesn't mean green for everyone, though.

Larry Bussey, the owner of Larry's Detail Shop on Martintown Road in North Augusta, said people are staying away from the wash.

"Before you can get them dried off, it's yellow again," he said.

At local car dealerships, cleaning crews are working double time to remove pollen from the vehicles.

"Typically, normal times of the year we'll wash them two or three times a week, but this time of year, with the pollen being so bad, we do it daily," said Wayne Morgan, the new vehicle sales manager for Master Pontiac Buick GMC on Washington Road.

The Augusta area has had just 2.24 inches of rainfall this month - more than an inch below the normal average, according to WRDW News 12 Chief Meteorologist Bob Smith.

Dry spells, however, are nothing new during the pollen season, he said. In 1995 and 2000, rainfall was only about an inch for the area.

The avalanche of yellow pollen always seems to arrive this time of year, said William K. Dolen, a professor of pediatrics and medicine in the section of allergy and immunology at Medical College of Georgia.

"This time of year, the week before Masters Week, all of the pine pollen trees in Augusta dislodge their pollen, essentially simultaneously," he said. "And that's what turns the city yellow. This year is bigger than last year."

The pine pollen is pretty large compared to others and seems to cause few allergic reactions in people, Dr. Dolen said.

"If people had big-time allergic responses to pine pollen, the emergency rooms all over the city would be flooded this time of year," he said. Those who are suffering from allergies are likely reacting to an unseen dose of pollen from other trees or grasses, Dr. Dolen said. And that should serve as a healthy reminder to Masters visitors from the still-frozen North, he said.

"All of these Northerners are going to be coming here next week for the golf tournament, and they're going to get slammed by tree and grass pollen, which they might not have seen very much of where they live," Dr. Dolen said. "They need to start on their medicines now. And they need to bring them with them when they come."

Staff Writer Tom Corwin contributed to this article.