The allergy appointments are already beginning to build for Dr. Christin Deal, and it’s only February.

Is this the new normal in Western Pennsylvania?

Deal, an allergy immunologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, said allergist appointments are about a month ahead of pace.

“Usually, it’s more like mid- to late March and April when we get our highest number of patients, and that is when our tree pollen counts are so high,” Deal said. “Tree pollen season tends to be the worst of all of them in Allegheny County. I would say our patients are coming in maybe a little earlier.”

On Thursday, temperatures are projected to reach a high of 71 degrees. That would top the area’s previous high for that date, 70 degrees, last seen in 1922, according to National Weather Service meteorologists. The warm air coming up from the South can bring common seasonal allergens with it, said Myranda Fullerton, a meteorologist with NWS Pittsburgh.

“I know from experience that things are blooming well south of us. Anytime you get a strong southerly flow, the air that’s heading north could be carrying allergens,” she said. “I know Sunday my allergies were horrible. Anytime we get that warm southerly flow, it does bring up that potential for pollen and whatever is happening across the South.”

Allergy seasons blending

Allergy seasons have started to blend together in recent years, noted Dr. Thomas Mertz, allergist at Allergy and Asthma Associates of Pittsburgh. A combination of climate change and air quality impacts can “really make people suffer.”

“It used to be that you would have a definite tree pollen season and then it would go away completely, and then you’d have a little lapse and have the grass in summer,” he said. “But because the growing season has extended, you can see some overlap.

“Because of the warmer temperatures, you might even see spring pollen season come earlier.”

Not all factors making someone sneeze might be from their backyard, according to Deal.

“Pollens can travel from other parts of the city, and other parts of the county that you wouldn’t be aware of just kind of looking out your front window,” she said. “There’s definitely been tons of patients coming in with allergies. … More pollens in the air can make people more symptomatic, and longer exposures to these pollens can make people more symptomatic as well.”

Rainy, warmer weather causes mold to flourish, bringing with it more allergic reactions, Mertz said.

“A day when it is above freezing and the temperature gets up and it’s moist, you’re going to get a bit of mold,” he said. “The mold is not going to go away unless it gets a very bitter cold or a deep snow.”

This year’s precipitation levels are unusual for snow, but on track for rain, according to Fullerton. Since Jan. 1, the region has seen 4.4 inches of rain, a little under the typical 4.8 inches.

More that a foot less snow

Since Dec. 1, the area has accumulated only 11.2 inches of snowfall as compared to a normal of 29.5 inches.

The mild weather is partially attributed to the La Nina climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather across the world, Fullerton said.

“We have only observed a triple La Nina two other times in our period of record,” she said, referring to the weather pattern occurring three years in a row. “In the Midwest, they’ve been getting a lot of snowfall. We just haven’t been seeing it here.”

The low snowfall levels don’t hold the top spot in the National Weather Service’s period of record, which goes back to 1875, Fullerton said. They do, however, rank highly.

“There have been winters before us that have had less, but right now, it looks like our season ranks about 13th for least amount of snow,” she said. “In years prior, it looks like from 1889 to 1890, there was 1.3 inch of total snowfall observed. So we’ve had more of a snow drought in previous years, but we are in the top 20 for sure.”

Increased allergies

Allergist Dr. Russell Traister of AHN West Penn Hospital noted that indoor allergens can be exacerbated by warmer weather, too.

“Right now, there is still no tree pollen or weed pollen or grass pollen. Usually in the wintertime, the most common things would be perennial or year-round allergens, mold or indoor dust mites,” he said. “But sometimes, when the temperatures are warmer, that can affect the levels of some of those allergens. Indoors, there can be higher humidity with warmer temperatures, and that can lead to more dust mites in your house.”

Humidifiers, dehumidifiers and HEPA filters can provide some relief from indoor allergens, but won’t block everything, he said. Over-the-counter allergy medicine also can help.

The pollen season will have begun in force once residents start to see pollen on the ground and flying through the air, Traister added.

“It usually starts sometime in March, but there is a bit of variation every year depending on the weather patterns and when trees start blooming,” he said. “Tree pollen is the major spring pollen. It is the first pollen of the year. When you start seeing the trees start to bloom, when you start seeing the yellow dust on your car, that’s when you know the pollen season has started.”

Seasonal shifts

Changes in seasonal weather can impact farms that grow produce, according to Joel Milowicki of JP’s Farmers Market.

“We have a small orchard here where we raise peaches. We do everything we can to try and keep them dormant, but with warm weather, you always have to worry about the peach blossoms coming out,” Milowicki said.

Last year, a warm period followed by a cold streak in March hurt his orchards’ productivity, he noted. Luckily, this year’s warmer periods have not lasted as long.

“The only thing I am glad about is we have been getting moisture and rain,” he said. “Last year, we were awful dry throughout the summer months.”

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