AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — As Western New York says "goodbye" to the cold, neighbors should get ready to say "hello" to another sign of spring — seasonal allergies.
Although the region was filled with snow and slush on Friday, Dr. Jeanne Lomas, owner of Buffalo Amherst Allergy Associates, said you can expect to see pollen in full-force these upcoming weeks.
"As soon as the weather starts to get nice again, it's BAM — right away with the pollen again," she said. "Your pollen counts tend to be higher once you've had a freeze or some kind of unseasonable weather."
Dr. Lomas said this year's early bloom combined with sporadic weather is the perfect pollen recipe.
"If you think about it, that just leaves more opportunity for pollinating plants to pollinate for longer periods of time."
Dr. Andrew Green, an allergist with the Buffalo Medical Group, agreed this abnormal weather is a kick-start for the pollen.
"This particular winter has been most unusual in the record-low snowfall and early warming to trigger a number of the tree population to start releasing pollen," he said.
This year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked Buffalo as the 27th allergy capital of the country.
"Western New York has the dubious distinction of having three strong pollen seasons," Dr. Green said.
However, Dr. Green warned to not get a stuffy nose confused with actual allergies.
"If an individual has what as call a 'sensitive nose,' they're more susceptible to experiences in weather change, biometric pressure changes and changes in the quality of the air," he said.
Nevertheless, if you know pollen is a predator of yours, both doctors recommend getting your allergy medicine out now.
"If you know that you're a spring allergy sufferer, make sure you have it on hand so that as soon as the weather starts to change, you can be prepared," Dr. Lomas said.
