- As average global temperatures warm, allergy season will start earlier.
- Not only will allergy season start earlier, but pollen concentration is expected to increase.
- Watch the video above to learn why these changes are happening and the effects they're having on people in the Big Bend.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"The first year I had just kind of nasal congestion like headaches, things like that.” That’s Emily Jennings, a studio art major at Florida State University.
Many allergy sufferers can relate to her sentiments as vegetation begins to bloom across the area. Heading into March, we are entering peak allergy season across north Florida and southern Georgia. I’m First To Know Meteorologist Riley Winch at Florida State University, where trees like this can definitely bring on those seasonal allergies.
It's a challenging time for many of our neighborhoods, especially those with respiratory conditions like asthma. As average temperatures warm across the globe, what does this mean for our local allergy season?
“We’re moving in the wrong direction with pollen, and I’m afraid that’s our destiny.” That’s Meteorologist Mark Wool of the Tallahassee National Weather Service.
He says, "it’s been getting warmer, on average, and a little bit wetter too. Both of those things will tend to allow things to green up and therefore the pollen season to start earlier."
Locally, the biggest pollen producers are ragweed, grass, and trees. With warmer winters and springs, tree and ragweed pollen will become worse across the area.
“The length of the pollen season being longer made sense to me, but the concentration of pollen coming out of the flora is also gonna go up.”
While uncertainty exists in how pollen will change over time, we can expect longer allergy seasons to prolong exposure to allergens across our area.
And the potential for more severe allergies with increased levels of pollen.
It’s a reminder to be proactive about our health, and continue to take precautions to protect us from seasonal sniffles.
