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Wet winter contributes to heavy spring allergy season

Posted at 6:24 PM, Apr 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-17 22:52:17-04

DRAPER, Utah — Spring allergies are about to hit some Utahns extra hard after days of heavy rain.

Sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose – we all know the symptoms.

“On days like today when the pollen is really nice and fresh, it was just miserable I couldn’t breathe,” Keegan Phillips said.

Phillips knows all about allergies. FOX 13 caught up with him after getting a maintenance allergy shot.

“It usually is really, really terrible,” Keegan said. “I love the change in the weather but I hate being outside.”

Tree pollen is enemy number one right now, according to allergy specialist Dr. Duane Harris.

He tracks pollen levels at Intermountain Allergy and Asthma in Draper.

“In the spring, you’ll see super high pollen, almost no pollen, super high pollen, almost no pollen,” Dr. Harris said.

While the rain knocked some pollen out of the air, spring allergens are expected to get worse now that it’s warming up.

“Saturday, where I think it’s going to be in the 70s – if it’s windy because of the storm coming in, Saturday will actually be a significant day for allergies,” Dr. Harris said.

While it’s tempting to enjoy the sunshine, Dr. Harris recommends allergy suffers to stay inside and take an over-the-counter medicine.

That hasn’t been enough for Phillips, who may have to double up his allergy regimen.

“On really bad days with all the new pollen coming out, I’ll end up taking an allergy pill morning and night,” Phillips said.

Dr. Harris said spring into early summer can be the worst for allergy sufferers because of tree and grass pollen.