Start of spring also means start to allergy season

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Tuesday marked the first full day of spring and allergy season is now upon us. With spring comes warmer temperatures, budding leaves and blooming flowers so allergy sufferers beware. Western Mass News spoke with Dr. David Robertson, an allergist with Allergy and Immunology Associates of New England in Springfield, about what we can expect in the coming days and months.

“During the wintertime, during a normal winter at least in New England, when the ground freezes outside, the mold kind of goes dormant or goes to sleep for the winter and then right around now, with the weather that we’re having, we’re on a warming trend and it’s going to be 60 degrees this week, the outdoor mold in the soil is going to reactivate,” Robertson said

However, pollen will also play a role. We checked with Western Mass News First Alert Meteorologist Don Maher, who said tree pollen will create the most misery until mid-May.

“We’re already starting to see moderate to high levels of tree pollen around here because it has been a little dry these past couple of days,” Maher said.

He told us the severity of allergy season depends on how much precipitation we get.

“If we get a prolonged period of dry weather, then certainly, the allergens that we see could be higher. If we get a prolonged period of wet weather, then that would help knock the pollen numbers down,” Maher explained.

Robertson, though, said he expects a bad allergy season. He advised allergy sufferers to stock up.

“Head to the drug store. Make sure you have your antihistamine pills or your nasal sprays or your antihistamine eyedrops…If you know that you have allergies that come out every year, it’s not a bad time to start thinking about taking those medicines,” Robertson explained.

Robertson also advised those who deal with severe allergies to contact their medical provider to receive proper care.

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