Pollen Count In Springfield Va (2024)

FAQs

Why are my allergies so bad right now in Virginia? ›

It seems in Virginia, allergy season is almost year-round now thanks to climate change. The spring and fall seem to be the worst for many people, but it depends on your personal allergen triggers. In spring, we peak with tree and grass pollen. In fall, the weeds and grasses have their moment.

The risk of tree pollen symptoms is moderate.

The months that register a higher pollen count are April, May and September. With the onset of winter, the pollen density drops away although allergy sufferers can still be affected by indoor allergens, such as dust, pet dander or mould spores.

Virginia has a fairly normal length allergy season, starting in early spring and ending in late fall.

Rain also washes tree pollen away and can prevent it from becoming airborne, reducing the amount of tree pollen in the air. However, rain may worsen other allergies, including grass, weed pollens, mold, and dust. When rain hits grass and weed pollen, it can break up the pollen into smaller particles.

Seasonal allergy signs and symptoms can flare up when there's a lot of pollen in the air. These steps can help you reduce your exposure: Check your local TV or radio station, your local newspaper, or the internet for pollen forecasts and current pollen levels.

When Is The Pollen Count High? Pollen counts usually rise in the morning, and reach their peak by midday or early afternoon. This is the time of day that allergies are often the worst, since there is a high concentration of pollen in the air.

We recommend cetirizine for initial treatment. Third-generation antihistamines: levocetirizine (Xyzal), desloratadine (Clarinex). 'Improved' versions of second-generation products. May work better or have better side effect profile but this has not been proven and the products are generally more expensive.

Masks provide enough protection to block common allergens, including pollen, dust mites, and mold. However, they're not an effective choice for all seasonal or other allergies. Any mask can help reduce allergy symptoms, but N95 masks are often the best choice, followed by surgical masks.

States with a lot of trees, grass, and weeds will have a lot of allergens. Areas in the Northeast U.S. like Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. Virginia, Kansas, and Texas have a high rate of allergens.

Is pollen worse this year, 2024? ›

The 2024 allergy season is expected to start earlier and potentially feel worse than other years; The New York Times reports, “Spring allergy seasons are beginning about 20 days earlier than they had, according to an analysis of pollen count data from 60 stations across North America from 1990 to 2018.” But why, and ...

Because Virginia has a fairly cold winter, seasonal allergies will commonly begin in February. This is a typical start to allergy season, but Virginia tends to have bad pollen seasons because of the abundance of plant life.

Weather changes can affect pollen levels, which in turn affect allergy symptoms. With warmer temperatures, comes an increase in spring pollen levels. Changes in air pressure also have an effect, as the amount of pollen that moves from the upper to the lower atmosphere varies based on air pressure.

More severe symptoms of seasonal allergies this spring are likely due to a warmer winter and an earlier start of allergy season, says Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist with the Allergy & Asthma Network. And the cause of this longer, more intense allergy season? Climate change.

One theory about the rise of allergies is that over the last 200 years, our diets have gotten dramatically different in terms of what we eat, the types of food we eat, so more processed foods, less fresh fruit and vegetables, different foods. ...

Some symptoms of colds and allergic reactions are the same, such as a runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. But there are differences. For example, people with seasonal allergies almost never have a sore throat or a cough. Viral infections, on the other hand, often do cause this symptom.