If you thought last year's allergy season was bad, you could be in for more of the same this year. Last season was rough for allergy sufferers because the long winter pushed spring allergies into the summer, essentially condensing the season. This year, the warm winter is causing spring pollen to take flight much earlier than normal.
"In general over the last 10 years or more, we've seen an earlier start to the spring allergy season This link is too long, I would just have it cover "earlier start to the spring allergy season" by about two weeks," Dr. Clifford Basset, founder and medical director at Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, said to Weather.com. "Each year is different. You're mostly seeing a longer season spring through fall because of warmer temperatures."
Bassett went onto say that, besides the warmer weather, El Nino and location also play a factor in what areas of the country get hit the hardest.
"In any year with an El Niño phenomenon, we expect certain areas of the country, particularly in the South, to be plagued by lots of rainfall and precipitation," Bassett noted. "Each year it's different. If you look at the aero biology, you have a lot of different pollen areas. There's a lot of cities [in the South] that are hit hard each year during the spring allergy season."
If you're also suffering from seasonal allergies, there are a number of steps you can take to manage them. First, visit an allergy specialist. Then, take recommended allergy medicine. Finally, protect yourself from allergens by defending your home and changing up your daily routine.
For more allergy solutions, visit Allergy Be Gone's store for a wide range of allergy control products.
