The Best and Worst Weather for Your Seasonal Allergies
Here’s how the daily forecast impacts your allergy symptoms.

You’ve already got many reasons to check the weather forecast in the morning: It informs your outfit choice for the day, helps you avoid getting drenched without an umbrella, and (let’s be honest) allows you to participate in everyone’s favorite small-talk topic. But if you’ve got seasonal allergies, the weather report may be your best friend.
The most common culprit for seasonal allergies is pollen from trees, grass, and ragweed, according to Clifford Bassett, MD, an allergist at NYU Langone Health. Tree pollen is most prevalent from late winter to early summer, grass and weed pollen is more common from late spring through the end of summer, and ragweed pollen becomes more of a nuisance in the late summer and fall, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
In addition to checking the predicted temps and chance of rain, you should also scan your weather forecast for the pollen count. “A pollen count is a measurement of pollen levels in your area,” says Dr. Bassett. “A pollen-counting device will count certain pollens, and there’s a certain criteria for low, medium, and high.”
Pollen counts tend to go up when the weather is windy, sunny, and dry. These are prime conditions to spread pollen around the air—great for the ecosystem, but bad news for your sinuses.
On the other hand, pollen counts usually drop when the weather is wet, drizzly, or cloudy, according to Dr. Bassett. This dreary weather may not help your mood, but it does minimize the amount of pollen flying through the air and triggering your allergy symptoms.
Those general weather characteristics can help you predict how your allergies will be that day, but checking the official pollen count will give you a more accurate gage on the conditions. “Every pollen is different and every day is different,” says Dr. Bassett.
Just as you plan your activities based on the chance of rain, you can do the same based on the pollen count. Here are tips to use the pollen count to your advantage and minimize seasonal allergies, according to Dr. Bassett.
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Pretreat with antihistamines. If you need to be outside on a high-pollen day, take antihistamines or other allergy meds before you go outside to reduce your allergy symptoms.
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Use pollen-reducing techniques such as wearing a hat, avoiding hair gel (it’s a pollen magnet!), and washing your glasses after coming inside from a high-pollen day.
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Adjust your plans according to the pollen count. For example, a day that’s predicted to be windy is probably not the best day to go for a run or have a picnic in the park. Do your gardening and yard work on days when it’s overcast or a little drizzly. On high-pollen days, exercise indoors if possible. (Try this six-minute arm workout or 10-minute yoga routine for beginners at home.)
For more allergy tips, here are common allergens to look for in your home and what happens to your body during an allergic reaction.
Dr. Bassett is an allergist and clinical assistant professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine and on the teaching faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College.
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In most areas of the United States where there's
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three or perhaps four seasons the most common triggers
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are pollen.
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Largely February, March, depending on where you are
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each year, tree pollen.
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There's early, mid and late tree pollens.
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Following tree pollens is grass pollen.
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That usually comes around the Easter time period
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in most places.
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Followed by early weed pollens and finally later summer
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and early fall ragweed pollen.
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A big culprit in the late summer, early fall.
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The pollen count is a measurement of pollen levels
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in your area.
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And it's done outdoors, and a pollen counting device will
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count certain pollens and there's a certain criteria,
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low, medium, and high.
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And the National Allergy Bureau of the American Academy
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of Allergy, Asthma Immunology has pollen counting stations
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throughout the country and you can go online
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and understand what the pollen counts are for
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your community.
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Pollen counts increase when it's windy.
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Windy is not the friend of the allergy sufferer.
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When it's sunny, it's dry.
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Those are conditions when pollen levels typically rise.
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The opposite, when it's wet, drizzly, cloudy,
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windless day, those are days where pollen counts typically
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are lower.
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But again every pollen is different
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and every day is different.
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So when it's a high pollen count day and you know your
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pollen is prevalent for example birch pollen,
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oak pollen, so on and so forth,
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you might wanna exercise indoors.
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You might wanna pre-treat before your exercise
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and going outdoors with antihistamines,
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oral antihistamines, nasal steroid sprays,
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eye drops, and things that you know work.
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You also wanna understand that there are other things
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you can do.
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You can wear a hat, you can avoid hair gel,
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you can wash your glasses and face off after coming in
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from the great outdoors.
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There may be some days you perhaps would rather schedule,
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perhaps when it's not windy.
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And days where it's moist and a little drizzly could be
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better for gardening for an individual that has
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extreme sensitivities.
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So paying attention to the weather report is the first
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thing to think about whether to take your medications
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and pre-treat.
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Reading the charts. Milwaukee, WI: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. (Accessed on January 15, 2021 at http://www.aaaai.org/global/nab-pollen-counts/reading-the-charts.)
Seasonal allergies. Arlington Heights, IL: American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. (Accessed on January 15, 2021 at https://acaai.org/allergies/seasonal-allergies.)