CHARLOTTE — Auto Bell District Manager Anil Verma says as soon as the snow melted, pollen season began.
“Early February we started seeing some pollen and started escalating from there,” Verma said.
Warmer weather in early spring typically means a longer pollen season and according to allergist Gray Norris with the Carolina Asthma and Allergy Center, if that hot weather sticks around like it has been, the pollen can get even more intense.
“Plants love that,” Norris said. “With the warmer weather, they really use that time to produce the pollen.”
Besides all the heat, it has also been dry. Charlotte’s only gotten 1.35 inches of rain in March and just half an inch so far in April.
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“It keeps it airborne and lower humidity. It stays airborne longer so it’s a tough time for people,” said Norris.
As of last week, nearly 90% of North Carolina was in severe drought with much of Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Iredell and Rowan counties in extreme drought.
Norris says that has kept a lot of tree pollen around, the real nasty stuff that leaves behind its yellow haze. Now, he says grass pollen season is kicking off too.
“The grasses love the drier conditions,” he said. “It produces pollen that floats in the air for longer periods of time and people feel it. Eyes, nose, lungs, it gets them all.”
There is some good news.
Norris says the big oak pollen blooms are fading and grass pollen grains tend to be smaller and create a less noticeable mess. Still, he says anyone with allergies will feel it, especially if this drought persists.
“If we do get a good washing of rain it will clean the air for a few days and it’ll be back again, so it’s a brief respite,” said Norris.
If you suffer from seasonal allergies, experts say to keep your windows closed and consider taking a shower or changing your clothes after going outside.
Also, wash your car. Pollen coating the vehicle can get it through the air filter.