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Allergy season has arrived in Las Vegas

Posted at 2:29 PM, Feb 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-12 15:29:04-05

If you have been sneezing and/or coughing a lot within the last week or two, there is a good explanation for that. Allergy season has arrived in Las Vegas. 

Unusually warm temperatures since the holidays have resulted in trees and plants blooming earlier than usual. Add in a little wind and the pollen count soars.

In case you are wondering, it's actually the trees that are giving us the most trouble in Las Vegas right now -- mulberry, ash and juniper specifically.

Pollen.com provides a 5-day allergy forecast for any city in the United States. Allergy counts in our area are predicted to climb over the weekend until they hit 9.7 on Monday, which is definitely in the high range.

Daily pollen reports for the Las Vegas area can also be found by clicking here and Weather.com provides pollen forecasts around the country.

As expected the rising counts can be attributed to the rising temperatures locally this weekend and increasing winds.

Click here for latest weather information.
 

The high-pollen season usually runs from March to June in Las Vegas and the surrounding area. The counts go down in the summer due to the high temperatures from July to August. However, there is a second allergy season in September and October.

Information on pollen counts in Las Vegas and surrounding areas is provided by a pollen monitoring program at UNLV.

COMMON PLANT ALLERGENS IN SOUTHERN NEVADA INCLUDE:

Trees Weeds Grass
Trees Sagebrush Kentucky Bluegrass
Ash Ragweed Salt grass
Oak Redroot Pigweed Timothy grass
Elm Goosefoot Lamb's Quarters Johnson grass
Maple English plantain Redtop grass
Birch tumbleweed Bermuda grass
Hazel   Orchard grass
Alder   Sweet Vernal grass
Pecan   Fescue
Hickory   Velvet grass
Juniper    
Cypress
Mulberry

SYMPTOMS OF ALLERGIES
Sneezing
Coughing
Postnasal trickle
Itching eyes, nose and throat
Circles under eyes
Watery eyes

TIPS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH ALLERGIES

  • Close the windows to your house and home. Use your air conditioner's recirculation mode.
  • Avoid going outside if possible.
  • Wear a mask and large sunglasses when you go outside.
  • Shower and wash your hair before you go to bed at night.
  • Don't wear the clothes that you wore all day to bed.
  • Since allergies tend to be at their worse in the morning between 5 and 10 a.m., take a long-lasting allergy medication before you go to bed.
  • If your pets spend a lot of time outside, minimize contact with them when allergy counts are high.

There is no known cure for allergies, but other-the-counter medicine, natural remedies, and allergy shots by a doctor can help relieve the symptoms.