Spring-Like Weather Has OK Allergy Sufferers Sneezing Early

Tree pollens have really climbed into the high category, leaving many allergy sufferers sniffling and sneezing.

If you do have spring allergies, you probably noticed those symptoms started earlier this year.

It’s mid-March, but it feels like spring in Oklahoma, and that kind of weather is just too good to waste for people like Adam Farrar.

"It's beautiful. It's beautiful, especially since the winter was pretty cold," Farrar said.

For 7-year-old, Brydia Grosso, the only way to spend her Spring Break, is outside.

"It's really nice and it's lovely weather," she said. "I like that there's so many things you can see each day. There's new plants, there's new animals."

But, if you suffer from seasonal allergies, it's harder than ever to be outdoors.

Normally, those allergic to tree pollen don't start feeling the symptoms until late March or early April, but Dr. Estelle Levetin, chair of the University of Tulsa's biology department, said, this year, Mother Nature tricked the trees into pollinating early.

"We're a little bit early for some pollen types. Now, it's really interesting because February wasn't particularly early, but then I think the warm-up we saw in late February has really started the trees pollinating," Levetin said.

She said oak levels are high for this time of year and will keep growing if the rain stays away.

"We've seen some incredible weather the past two weeks, really delightful, so that's gonna drive the earlier pollination," said Levetin.

She said those who are allergic to pollen should hope for more rain to wash it away; but, on the flipside, rainfall is bad for those allergic to mold.