WHAT YOU CAN DO
If pollen is a problem, there are steps you can take to limit the symptoms, said Dr. Stanley M. Fineman, of the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic:
- Limit outdoor activity.
- Stay in an air-conditioned environment as much as possible.
- Remove your shoes when coming in from outdoors.
- Wash your hair before going to bed.
- If you have pets, wash the pollen off their fur.
It’s no fluke if you’re like Kelley Sharpe, who’s noticed more sneezing and itchy eyes in the past few days.
Pollen season has opened with higher than usual counts.
“I feel like it’s a little bit worse this year,” said Sharpe, an engineer, who lives in Lilburn. “And it’s pretty bad.”
Indeed, pollen season has arrived “with a vengeance,” said Dr. Stanley M. Fineman, of the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic.
“It is very early for pollen counts to be this high. People are complaining about symptoms — like sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes — more than they usually do this time of year.”
On Monday, for instance, the pollen count in metro Atlanta hit 944, compared to 41 for the same day a year ago and 51 for the same period in 2012. This was the highest it’s been this early in five years.
In 2010, the pollen count reached 462.
The pollen count on Tuesday was reported at 902.
Tree pollen from cedar, elm and maple were the major contributors.
And, while the metro area experienced several brutal cold snaps, the rain and melting snow and ice didn’t help, said Fineman, former president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Think of water as the lifeblood of plants and trees. They are getting plenty. Now you understand.
“It hasn’t been in the 900 range this early since I can remember,” Fineman said.
Still, this count is nowhere near the highest count that can be expected this season.
Atlanta’s record-high pollen count of 9,369 occurred March 20, 2012. Last year’s spring high count was 8,024 on April 11.
Mother Nature certainly has had her fun this year.
It was cold for so long, then metro Atlanta would “get a little pop” of warm weather and buds would start to creep out, said Karen Minton, meteorologist at Channel 2 Action News. That happened repeatedly.
“All that sunshine did trees good,” she said. “A little bit of sunshine and all that moisture, and they’re ready to go. It was just enough between January and now to get things started.”
The springlike weather will end, at least temporarily on Thursday morning, when a cold blast returns. Highs later in the day are expected in the 50s.
If you’re not sure what’s causing your problems, Fineman suggests that metro Atlantans see an allergy specialist. He estimates about 30 percent of the population has allergies.
Pollen season usually peaks in late March and April, he said. Atlanta has yet to see the results of oak and pine pollen.
Pine pollen doesn’t cause symptoms, just the yellowish mess.
While pollen levels are hard to predict, “if this is any indication of what we can expect, then pollen levels could be very high this season,” Fineman said.
