AUSTIN, Texas — With the warmer weather that the Central Texas area is seeing, everyone is eager to get outside and soak in the sunshine - but the rise in temperatures mean that allergies are around the corner.
As we transition into spring, an itchy nose, eyes and sneezing can all be the "bane" of our existence for a few months.
"Every year is different, it has gotten warmer and so some of the trees may start pollinating a little bit sooner than the typical," said Dr. John Villacis, an allergist with the Austin Diagnostic Clinic.
Villacis explained that the spring is a strong because it's when the oak trees begin to pollinate. March or early April is typically when Texans will see significant amounts of pollen in the air.
"Every year is bad, but it depends on how bad, it depends on the weather, it's really hard to predict," Villacis said.
Alison Baylis with the Texas A&M Forest Service said that there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to getting the seasonal sneeze or itch. Factors like more wind one day could mean more allergies.
"The drought from this past year, sometimes drought can negatively impact from the tree's perspective the amount of pollen it produces, so that could be lessening the pollen," Baylis said.
Another factor that could impact the level of pollen is tree damage. The mass amount of tree damage that the Central Texas area saw from the ice storm at the beginning of February could also play a role in the production of pollen.
"If trees lost enough branches and leaf area, of if they were removed, that could lessen it," Baylis said.
Villacis says there's three major ways you can treat your allergies: avoiding the allergens, using medications and desensitization. Desensitization means that people are exposing their body to the allergens through allergy shots or immunotherapy.
"There's always significant allergy, here in Central Texas, there's something about the region," Villacis said.
The seasonal allergies is the price Central Texans pay as we watch the bluebonnets bloom.