Okay, so you know how spring used to be like
clockwork? And then boom, the sniffles hit, the
itchy eyes started, yeah. But lately it feels
like those allergy things are, they're like starting
earlier and then they just won't quit, right?
It does seem that way, doesn't it? Like you're
not imagining it. Welcome to the Meteorology
Matters podcast. We dig into all the science
stuff happening up there in the atmosphere. And
today we are gonna untangle this whole. of climate
change and what it's doing to your allergies.
Yeah, that's right. We're gonna really look at
how all that warming and shifts in the environment,
those are not only making the pollen seasons
longer, they're upping the pollen production
and making those reactions, you get maybe even
worse. Yeah, and you've brought some really interesting
research with you. We want to make sure everyone
listening gets like the key takeaways. What does
this mean for your health, your everyday life?
Stick with us because you might be surprised
by some of this. And for even more on these topics,
make sure you're following meteorologist Rob
Jones, Instagram meteorologist on TikTok, TV
meteorologist and on YouTube, follow Rob Jones
Hurricane, where you can also find the Meteorology
Matters podcast playlist. All right. So this
whole thing about allergy season, feeling like
a marathon, not a sprint. Is that is there science
backing that up? Yeah, you're actually spot -on
It's amazing how what you're noticing it just
out in the world lines up with what we're seeing
in the research You know those warmer winters
we've been having they're making spring come
earlier fall starts later And that means a longer
stretch without a frost so plants have more time
to grow and well more time to pump out pollen
So I'm not going crazy. It's not just me. There's
actual like data. Oh, yeah There are studies
showing pollen seasons all across North America
They're starting something like 20 days earlier
compared to back in the 1990s. That's a big jump.
And it's not just that they're starting sooner,
they're lasting longer too in a lot of places.
And is this for all types of pollen, or is it
just like, I keep thinking about ragweed. Ragweed
is a great example, actually. There is research
that looked at ragweed pollen seasons at 11 different
spots in the central US and Canada, going all
the way back to 1995. And you know what? What?
The season's gotten longer at 10 of those 11
places. And here's the kicker that increases
even more noticeable the further north you go.
More in the north. I wouldn't have guessed that.
Yeah, it seems counterintuitive at first but
it makes sense when you think about it. You see
up north They've had even bigger changes in that
frost free period and the first frost to fall
that's happening way later now that later frost
that lines up perfectly with that Longer ragweed
season like in Winnipeg their ragweed season.
That's about 25 days longer now Saskatoon. It's
about 24 Fargo 21 and Minneapolis 18 days longer
Wow, those are some big increases a lot longer
seasons. That's one thing but what about the
the amount of pollen, is there more of that floating
around too? That's the thing. Pollen levels across
the US, they've gone up about 21 % between 1990
and 2018. So yeah, there's more of it. And it's
likely because of those higher temperatures and
all that extra carbon dioxide we're putting in
the air. So the same stuff that's messing with
the climate is making our allergies worse. Exactly.
Warmer weather means bigger plants, generally
speaking. And carbon dioxide, well, it actually
helps. plants do photosynthesis better, they
need less energy to take in CO2, so they have
more to put towards growing, and guess what?
That includes making more pollen, so it's a double
whammy, bigger plants with more flowers, and
each flower is cranking out even more pollen
than it used to. Not good news if you've got
allergies, but I remember reading something about
how, just like. The regular weather can make
things worse, too, not just the temperature.
Right, you are. You know how increased rain and
changes in humidity can actually make your allergies
feel worse? Yeah, I've noticed that. Well, those
things are all tied to climate change, too. When
pollen gets wet, it breaks down into these tiny
little bits, and those can get way deeper into
your lungs and cause stronger reactions. So a
rainy day during allergy season doesn't always
mean a break. Nope, not necessarily. Plus...
Yeah, think about air quality, too. Air pollution
that can mix with pollen and actually make it
even worse for you. Oh, no. Burning fossil fuels,
that's a big problem there. You're getting the
CO2 that heats things up, but you're also getting
all these other pollutants that irritate your
airways and they can stick to pollen and make
it more allergenic. So it's like a vicious cycle.
More emissions mean more pollen, and we're more
sensitive to it because of those emissions. Like
this crazy domino effect. Right. And people with
asthma, they're extra vulnerable to all of this.
There's research showing that they're more sensitive
to things like ozone, which is a really common
air pollutant. Their allergies can even flare
up worse after being around ozone. So this is
kind of scary for our health. What kind of symptoms
are we talking about here that might get worse
or more common? You're probably familiar with
the usual suspects with seasonal allergies. You
know, runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, congestion,
and that feeling of just... being wiped out,
but it can go beyond that, especially for kids.
How so? Kids can have a whole range of symptoms.
They might get skin rashes like hives, they could
have trouble breathing, they'll sneeze and cough
a lot, watery or itchy eyes, and some even get
like an upset stomach. Oh, wow. And it's not
just the physical stuff. It can really mess with
their ability to focus and do well in school.
There's actually studies showing that kids might
have trouble learning and their grades can even
take a hit during those peak pollen times. Yeah,
I bet a lot of parents can relate to that. And
for adults, it's not just feeling lousy allergies
can make other health problems worse, too, right?
You got it. We already talked about asthma. Pollen
is a big trigger for that. So more pollen can
mean more shortness of breath, more chest tightness,
wheezing. And in some cases, it can even land
you in the ER and there's new research suggesting
that allergies might actually make you more likely
to get sick with viruses too because they make
your airways inflamed. Oh wow. It's like your
body's already fighting one battle so it can't
fight off a virus as well and I remember you
mentioning something about how pollen itself
might be doing more than just setting off your
immune system. Yeah I did see something about
that. Well some studies are showing that pollen
and other allergens they can actually damage
the DNA in the cells lining your nose and lungs
and that adds to that whole chronic problem.
So it's not just a temporary annoyance it could
be causing long -term damage. That's what the
research is pointing to and when you add that
to the link between pollen and asthma attacks
it's a little scary. We already think something
like 35 ,000 to 60 ,000 ER visits every year
are because of pollen and some experts think
that number could jump by 14 % by 2090 if things
keep going the way they are. Those are huge numbers
and I imagine all these health impacts have to
cost a lot of money too. They do. In the U .S.
alone, we spend over $3 billion every year on
medical costs just because of pollen. One study
from 2011 put the cost of treating seasonal allergies
at about $3 .4 billion annually, and that's just
the direct medical costs, right? It doesn't even
include things like missed work because you're
not feeling well. Right, prison teism and all
that. Yeah. You're at work or school, but you're
not really functioning at 100 % because you feel
so crummy from allergies. There's a study in
Sweden that showed just how much allergies cost
in terms of lost productivity, missed work, health
care costs. It's a big problem. So those 3 .8
million missed work and school days because of
allergies, that's probably just the tip of the
iceberg. It's a massive problem for sure. Are
some people more at risk than others? Sadly,
yes. There are some groups that get hit harder
by all of this black and brown communities. We
often live in areas with more air pollution,
and that means they're dealing with both more
pollen and worse air quality, which just compounds
the problem. So that's a real environmental justice
issue. We've been talking about pollen in general,
but are there any specific types that are really
bad for people with allergies? Like ragweed.
Ragweed, that's a huge one. It's everywhere,
and it's a major trigger for both hay fever and
asthma attacks. Researchers estimate about 15
.5 % of people in the U .S. are sensitive to
ragweed pollen. And that's getting worse with
climate change, right? Absolutely. Ragweed plants,
they usually start to mature in midsummer and
then they release pollen that peaks in late summer,
early fall. It keeps going until the first frost
hits. And here's the crazy part. A single ragweed
plant can produce a billion pollen grains in
one season. A billion. just from one plant. Yep.
And like we talked about, warmer weather, more
carbon dioxide that makes those plants produce
even more pollen. There's even some research
suggesting that the pollen itself becomes more
allergenic in these changed conditions. And get
this, cities can actually have even more ragweed
growth and pollen than rural areas because of
the urban heat island effect. Cities are just
warmer and they also tend to have higher levels
of carbon dioxide. There was a study in Baltimore
that showed ragweed in the city grew faster and
produced more pollen than ragweed out in the
countryside. So if you live in a city, you're
getting a double whammy with ragweed. You're
exposed to it for longer, and that pollen might
even be stronger. This is all pretty discouraging
for people with allergies. Are there any places
in the US that are better for allergy sufferers?
Good question. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation
of America, they actually rank U .S. cities based
on how bad they are for people with allergies.
They look at pollen counts, over -the -counter
medication use, and how many allergy specialists
are in the area. Okay, and what do they find?
Well, for the third year in a row, Wichita, Kansas,
that took the top spot as the worst city for
allergies in 2024, mainly because they have really
high tree and grass pollens, New Orleans jumped
way up to number two this year. Probably because
of a longer weed pollen season, thanks to all
the moisture from hurricanes and the unusually
warm fall, they had cities in the Midwest and
Southeast. They tend to rank higher because of
the warmer weather and all the plants that grow
there. How about the best cities? Several cities
in the northeast like Boston, they were among
the least challenging in 2024. That might be
because they had lower pollen counts this year,
maybe due to drought conditions, and they also
have better access to medical care, especially
allergy specialists. Washington DC ranked low
too, mostly because they have a ton of allergists,
even though their pollen levels are about average.
It's interesting how much the availability of
doctors plays a role. And didn't California have
some crazy pollen levels last year? They did.
Yeah, a lot of urban areas in California that
usually have low pollen, they saw way higher
counts than normal, most likely. That was because
of all the rain they had, including those atmospheric
rivers. It really boosted plant growth. So both
the long -term climate changes and the short
-term weather patterns, they're both shaking
things up for allergies. And we keep coming back
to cities as being especially bad. Why is that?
A couple of reasons. First, all that air pollution
in cities, it can irritate your airways and actually
make your immune system more sensitive to pollen
so you react more strongly. Second, there's that
urban heat island effect we talked about. Cities
are warmer than the surrounding areas, and that
helps plants grow bigger and release pollen for
longer periods like we saw with that Baltimore
study, city ragweed was thriving. So to recap,
it's pretty clear that climate change is making
seasonal allergies a much bigger and longer lasting
problem. Absolutely. And we talked about how
that warmer climate is leading to longer, more
intense pollen seasons with higher pollen counts.
And that can really make your allergy symptoms
flare up and have bigger impacts on your health
and even the economy. It's not just some abstract
science thing this is impacting your daily life,
how you feel in the spring and fall, your ability
to focus and get things done. It's real. Right.
And while we need to tackle climate change for
long term solutions, there are things you can
do right now to manage your allergies, things
like checking your local pollen forecast, keeping
your windows closed when pollen counts are high,
maybe getting an air purifier for your home,
and talking to an allergist about medications
or allergy shots. Great advice. And for more
info, and to keep up with all the latest on meteorology
and how our climate is changing, make sure you're
following Meteorologist Rob Jones, Instagram
Meteorologist, on TikTok, TV Meteorologist, and
on YouTube, follow Rob Jones Hurricane, where
you can also find the Meteorology Matters podcast
playlist. It's amazing to think that something
as familiar as seasonal allergies is being so
drastically affected by our environment Makes
you wonder what other parts of our lives that
we take for granted are more connected to climate
change than we realize you got it That's it for
today. Thanks for listening to the meteorology
matters podcast. We'll see you next time. See
you later. Bye