Allergy season is getting longer and more severe in dozens of US cities: Here’s where

(NEXSTAR) – If you’re suffering from allergies right now, we have bad news. Allergy seasons may be getting longer and worse in the city you live in.

As the climate warms, there are fewer days with deep freezes. It affects pollen producers, grasses and weeds. takes longer to grow (And my eyes get watery). Experts say the 2024 season has started particularly early.

Not only is allergy season longer, there’s also evidence that symptoms are becoming more severe. a study We investigated the effects of increased carbon dioxide on ragweed plants. They found that when carbon dioxide increases in the environment, ragweed plants grow larger and produce more pollen.

Climate Central, an organization of scientists and journalists who study the effects of climate change, Analyzing data from approximately 200 U.S. cities Identify where your allergy problems are worsening. They found that since 1970, 164 cities have experienced longer allergy seasons.

On average, these cities have extended their seasons by 19 days.

Since 1970, these are the cities with the longest allergy seasons:

1. Reno, Nevada: 95-day extension
2. Las Cruces, New Mexico: 65 days extension
3. Medford, Oregon: 61-day extension
4. Boise, Idaho: 51-day extension
5. Tupelo, Mississippi: 50-day extension
6. Missoula, Montana: 48 days extension
7. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: 48-day extension
8. El Paso, Texas: 47 days extension
9. Toledo, Ohio: 45-day extension
10. Eugene, Oregon: 40-day extension
11. Helena, Montana: 40-day extension
12. Concord, New Hampshire: 39 days extension
13. Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM: 37 days extension
14. Roanoke, Virginia: 37 days extension
15. Manchester, New Hampshire: 35 days extension
16. Duluth, MN: 34 days extension
17. Atlanta, Georgia: 33 days extension
18. Lansing, Michigan: 33 days extension
19. Minneapolis/St. Louis Paul: 33 days left
20. Madison, Wisconsin: 32 days extension

They found that 164 U.S. cities have longer allergy seasons, but about 30 cities have seen the opposite trend, with allergy seasons becoming shorter since 1970. The most common city was Ottumwa, Iowa, where the allergy season was about 19 days shorter than before. .

Climate Central meteorologist Lauren Casey said there’s no one clear reason why this happens. Global warming is occurring all over the world, but the effects at the local level are not always clear and predictable.

“I think of global warming as a big umbrella. The average temperature of the planet is rising over time because of carbon pollution, but that effect is climate change. And it’s not necessarily about warming in a particular place. It doesn’t just mean that. It has all kinds of different cascading effects,” Casey said.

Waco, Texas. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Macon, Georgia. Allergy season has also been shortened in Mobile, Alabama, according to the analysis.

Also, dissecting the length of allergy season in the South and Southeast can be difficult because some cities never or rarely get below freezing, Casey said.

Another recent report released by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America focuses on where allergy sufferers experience the worst symptoms overall. They found that cities in the South and Midwest tended to have the worst allergy symptoms. Wichita, Kansas, topped the list, followed by Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Greenville, South Carolina.