Why Are My Allergies So Bad This Year?

Why Are My Allergies So Bad This Year?

There can be bad allergy years and better years.  What causes the difference? People who suffer from pollen allergies should hope for favorable weather.  A dream year is one in which there is a long winter and rain in the spring.  This is, if mold allergy is not a problem!  Allergy season, when there are allergic reactions to tree, grass, or weed pollen, depends largely on weather, both day to day and season to season. If a summer is hot and dry, the buds of the dormant winter trees will be stressed and there will be fewer flower buds during the spring.  A harsh winter can also reduce the pollen load by damaging the tree buds.  Rain in the spring may wash out the tree pollen from the air.

A dry spring with sunny skies and breezes are the ideal conditions for pollen to be released and spread.  If the winter is long and spring is short, everything seems to bloom at once.  Itchy eyes and drippy noses result.  The recent torrential downpours in many parts of the country have caused high damage, but are an advantage for people with pollen allergy.  The rain has washed out any pollen in the air.  However, the rains can make growing conditions ideal for summer grasses and weeds, increasing the allergies during that time.  Rain also affects how much pollen is present day to day.  High-pollen days may alternate with low-pollen days.   The allergy season, both short term and long term is weather-driven and varies from region to region.