As the U.S. inches closer to the start of spring and this year’s allergy season, forecasters are warning that pollen counts are expected to be higher than the historical average across 39 states.
That could spell trouble for the 25.7 percent of adults and 18.9 percent of children who suffer from a seasonal allergy. High pollen counts can lead to runny noses, itchy eyes, and uncomfortable sinus pressure.
“Millions of people living with seasonal allergies will be struggling with more intense symptoms that will likely stick around longer this year in many areas,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Allergy Expert Alan Reppert explained Wednesday. “You can blame wet and warm weather patterns expected later this year for pollen levels that will reach levels higher than the historical average in many places.”
Some regions will feel it earlier than others
There are three types of pollen allergy to worry about, including tree, grass and weed.
Impacts will be different across multiple areas of the country. For example, the Northeast and Great Lakes regions will see a late frost and start to the growing season – coupled with lower tree pollen levels.
Cooler air in the Southeast will also slow tree pollen production, and some parts of the South and Gulf Coast have already seen their pollen peaks.
“Tree pollen levels are expected to hover around average levels in the Northeast, but there could be a one-week period when higher temperatures and a lack of rainfall may send tree pollen spiking at high levels,” Reppert said.
However, by the summer, grass pollen levels will be higher in the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic, AccuWeather noted.
Warm air and rain in the regions will allow for grass to quickly grow.
“Grass pollen starts as tree pollen starts to wane and can begin along the Gulf Coast as soon as April when grass starts to grow,” Reppert added. “It can last through the summer and into the early fall before the sun angle starts to decrease low enough or a frost occurs.”
The highest weed pollen levels are expected across the Plains, Carolinas and the Gulf Coast, with moisture from tropical storms and hurricanes making the season last even longer there.
To the West, lower weed pollen levels are projected across the Northwest thanks to drier weather and early-season cold air.
But, 22 states in a 2,000-mile zone stretching from the Northwest to the Gulf Coast will see higher tree pollen levels, including Washington Idaho, Colorado, Tennessee and Florida.
High pollen levels are expected through most of the spring in the Pacific Northwest and Rockies states.
Climate change has something to do with it
AccuWeather points out that a warming spring is creating longer growing seasons and an earlier start to the allergy season.
A recent new report from non-profit Climate Central says that millions of Americans in most major cities are suffering from earlier, longer and more disruptive allergy seasons amid the effects of human-caused climate change.
“Many allergy sufferers have noticed their symptoms worsen over the past decade. The trend of more intense allergy seasons getting a jump start earlier in the spring and lasting later into the fall follows the overall trend line of warmer and wetter spring seasons in America,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Climate Expert Brett Anderson explained.
“There will be variability year to year depending on spring temperatures, storm tracks, and additional moisture from tropical storms and hurricanes, but the overall trend is clear,” he said. “Pollen counts are on the rise and seasonal allergies are getting worse for millions of people as our climate continues to warm.”
