Warmer temperatures cause allergy season to start earlier and last longer

Warmer average temperatures over the last 30 years in springs means a slight shift in the allergy season. Much of the country has seen an increase in the growing season, meaning more time for pollen to strike faster and earlier during the early spring months, oftentimes catching people off guard.

Locally, Columbia, Missouri has seen an increase in the growing season, an additional 5 days, meaning more days to deal with allergens.

The good news is the pollen peaks don't last too long. Now these seasonal allergens we can typically track based off the month, but this year they're running a few weeks ahead.

Trees are going to continue to be an issue along with oak, ash, and grasses as we head throughout April. So a lot of people who have tree pollen issues, you feel it right now, but that'll start to taper off for cedar and oak into May. Ash and grass are going to continue to be an issue as we head through the next two months.

The next several days , folks will definitely need to take that allergy medication as we're tracking very high levels of pollen across the region. Wednesday, a little bit of relief will slide in, but not too much as oak, juniper, and maple are going to be your primary allergens. The current forecast provides little relief for those already dealing with severe allergy symptoms, and pretty shortly, warmer temperatures in the recent rain will increase the likelihood of seeing grass pollen rising.