Experts: Expect a bad allergy season this year

Experts are warning of a particularly bad allergy season this year.

While you may have heard this warning before, Pocatello allergist Dr. David Parry said a number of factors make this year different.

“The pollen season’s kind of overlapping with our virus season a little bit more this year, and so if you put allergy with the virus colds, then that’s kind of a quadruple whammy so to speak,” said Parry.

Parry said that since early March, he’s been seeing a surge in patients with allergy-related symptoms such as itchy eyes and runny noses.

He said he’s particularly concerned about patients with asthma since they already have trouble breathing.

Vicky Kendrick, who owns Pinehurst Floral and Greenhouse, said much of this year’s misery can be blamed on the fact that spring began early.

“Things are leafing out much earlier than normal, so the pollen’s gonna come much earlier,” said Kendrick.

While it’s easy to focus on small plants and pretty flowers as the source of sneeze-inducing pollen, Kendrick said trees can often be worse.

“Pine trees and spruce trees and junipers — they all produce pollen,” said Kendrick.

Parry said you can avoid the worst of allergy season by staying indoors early in the morning, when he said pollen is at its peak.