MILWAUKEE - It’s that time of year for itching eyes, stuffy nose, sneezing, and sinus pain. These are all signs and symptoms that allergy season has arrived.
Over recent years, you may have noticed your allergies arriving earlier, being more severe, and even staying longer. Don’t worry, you’re not the only one! According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, "more than 100 million people in the U.S. Experience various types of allergies each year", and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approximates "more than 25 million Americans have seasonal pollen allergies". Climate change can be linked to earlier, longer, and worse allergy seasons.
As of Tuesday, May 9, tree and grass pollen has been impacting southeast Wisconsin, and it is looking to get worse over this spring, summer, and even fall.
Before we get into details, you need to learn a bit about climate. Climate values, such as temperatures, are based on 30-year averages. Temperatures can vary year to year, but analyzing them over a longer period of time can give us a better indicator if warming and/or cooling is consistent over time.
Climate change doesn’t mean that all areas are getting warmer; in fact some are getting cooler. This all depends on where you are on Earth. Regardless if temperatures are increasing or decreasing, everyone will be impacted by it now and in the future years.
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Higher frequency of weather events such as severe thunderstorms, a shift in tornado alley, increased amount of tropical systems are all part of climate change. Changes in temperatures and weather patterns impact agriculture. This can cause hardships for farmers growing different products, and overall increase prices of produce at the grocery store. While climate change is impacting many things, we are going to focus one that you may deal with daily-allergies.
The Earth has natural warming and cooling cycles which can contribute to warming and cooling temperatures over decades. However, human-induced climate change is amplifying these warming periods since the industrial revolution. The graph below shows that natural drivers of global warming temperatures are significantly lower than human drivers. If humans are the problem, then what impact is that having on spring?
Spring temperatures have increased by 2° F on average in almost all of Wisconsin since 1970, while the east coast has increased by 3° F and the southwest between 4° F to 6° F.
Milwaukee has warmed 3.2° F on average with 12 days above normal per spring since 1970. Evidence shows that not only is spring warming more than average, but it is arriving earlier which has impacts on plants and allergy season.
On average, the last freeze of the spring in Milwaukee is on April 24 with the latest freeze occurring on May 27. The last frost of the spring has been occurring earlier than average over the years as temperatures are staying warmer longer.
All of these factors are leading to a longer growing season allowing plants to bloom earlier in the year and die/hibernate later. Southeast Wisconsin has an increase in one to 29 days added to the growing season while south central Wisconsin has an increase of 30 to 59 days. According to Climate Central, 82% of cities have had a lengthened growing season over the past 50 years.
Since most of the United States has been experiencing a longer growing season over the years, this means that allergy season is also lengthening. In fact, Milwaukee has an additional 21 days in allergy season since 1970 due to a longer period of days free of freezing temperatures. This will make it worse for people that suffer from allergies and asthma.
Warmer temperatures are only one variable that helps stimulate plants popping up earlier, but higher amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere can as well. The warmer and longer spring seasons are creating a worse and intensifying allergy season.
As the current trend for worsening allergy seasons is on the rise, so will the amount of money you pay out of your pocket to get relief from it. Each year $18 billion dollars is spent on medical costs from allergies. A more intense allergy season will lead to more money per person being spent on medical necessities which will impact lower-income families.
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Melinda Myers, a degreed horticulturist and certified arborist, says that trees and other plants will flower for a longer period of time with more mild seasons ahead. More flowers of course creates more pollen to travel in the air, and a more vigorous growing season can cause grasses to bloom several times a year. Bloom times will overlap with various plants creating increased pollen levels through the years. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America created a list of the most challenging places to live with allergies for the 2022 spring season. On a scale from 1 (being the most challenging) and 100 (being the least challenging), Milwaukee ranked number 84 making it better than average for most metropolitan areas.
Overall, the increases the amount of time pollen and molds are in the air will cause a longer allergy season, something that millions of people aren’t looking forward too.
So, what can you do to make it easier on you this allergy season? Here are some tips and tricks to prepare for the upcoming season(s) besides just taking an allergy medication.