It has been a favorable summer for the average ragweed plant.
It’s likely that the humble plants will enjoy the following weeks with outbursts of pollen to perpetuate the species and also annoy the residents of the Philly region and all across the country.
Unfortunately, the ragweed pollination season synced up with the hurricane season.
Last week, the daily pollen output was suppressed by the rains, which impacted airborne pollen.
However, the plants are working hard to produce more of it.
Donald Dvorin, an allergist and region’s certified National Allergy Bureau pollen counter, said that the benign effect, and the fact that it would be the sole one related to hurricane Ida, will evaporate after 48 hours.
To put it simply, when speaking about pollen, Dvorin said that “It’s coming.”
The season normally peaks in October, but this year, due to an increase in CO2 and an associated rise in global and local temperatures that delayed the first-frost dates, it seems that the pollination season might last a while longer, according to Melanie Carver, the chief mission officer with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
For the moment, the scientists can’t precisely tell when the ragweed season will end.
The downside of living through the season is that some COVID-19 symptoms are overlapping seasonal allergies, according to doctors.
Some of the symptoms include coughing, headache, fatigue, and a loss of smell.
However, if you are not sure that what you are experiencing is COVID or allergy-related, there is a very simple way you can tell.
Allergies aren’t usually associated with chills, fevers, muscle pain, sore throats, or intestinal problems.
If you know that pollen typically affects you, you should keep track of the daily income statistic. It is posted between 6 and 7 a.m. by Center City’s Asthma Center, which relies on an automated system.
Later in the day, Dvorin publishes counts according to a 24-hour sample of what his pollen traps captured.