Longer winter worsens allergies in spring, due to pollen vortex

After what seemed like a never-ending winter, Mother Nature has finally awarded us with more springlike weather. However, the comes with a cause as many plants and flowers are beginning to bloom and releasing pollen into the air. While this is a yearly thing, the timing of the pollen release is what many experts are calling a “pollen vortex” or “pollen tsunami”.

Different plants bloom and thrive at different parts of the year, due to an internal circadian clock that scientists have discovered in plants that help them know when the days are getting longer. Through a protein that plants produce, the increase in sunlights allows them to tell the plant it’s time to bloom. This sets the the plant in motion to awaken from its deep winter slumber and begin the flowering process.

However, thanks to a cold that gripped the eastern half of the nation well into April, many flowers and plants are blooming late. With the region already one month into spring, this is leading to everything blooming at once, leading to what many experts calling a “perfect storm for allergies”.

Every year for the past decade, the pollen season has been coined as the worst ever. While that may sound like hype, a changing climate and information gathered from the Environmental Protection Agency suggest otherwise. The EPA said that between the years 1998-2015, many cities saw a change in the length of ragweed season. The Kansas City region which includes parts of Mid-Missouri, saw an increase in 25 days to their pollen season. While ragweed is predominantly a fall allergy problem, it’s an annual weed and pollen can be detected throughout the year.

Just within the last week, decent weather has finally trickled into the region. This has led to a tidal wave of pollen that has been released into the air as everything begins to bloom at once. With more pollen being released into the air, this can lead to more severe symptoms, like congestion, itchy nose, itchy yes, and constant sneezing.

Information provided by pollen.com, shows that even though “cooler” days and rain are in the forecast, the tidal wave of pollen will continue to impact the region. Following one of the coldest winters in quite some time, we all need to get outside and enjoy some sunshine and warmth. If you are going to be outside, especially considering one of the nicest weekends we’ve seen in quite some time is on the way, experts say there are ways to avoid discomfort of allergy season.

– Use a neti pot to loosen mucus and drain the pollen out of your nose.

– Shower before bed to get rid of pollen particles on your body and in your hair.

– Despite the nice nights, keep the windows closed until peak allergy season passes.

– Use air conditioning on hot days, which cuts down on the pollens.

Although a delayed start to pollen season means a shorter season overall, the trade-off is a more intense season.

Stay with ABC 17 News as we continue to track the pollen into spring and follow us on Twitter @ABC17Stormtrack.