Rising temperatures are also allowing plants to bloom earlier and longer, prolonging pollen seasons. Increased rainfall means plants release more pollen when they bloom, and higher numbers of thunderstorms cause pollen grains to burst, making them more irritating and worsening symptoms. Shifting wind patterns in some parts of the world are carrying pollen over longer distances, too. Experts think more exposure to pollen equals more chances to be sensitized, which equals more allergies. So someone in Illinois, for example, might be seeing bigger changes in pollen than somebody in Texas – although Texas gets blasted with pollen, too.

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Persons: you’re, ”, Mary Margaret Johnson, Lewis Ziska, Joseph Inglefield III, he’s, “, There’s, Ziska, Inglefield, Leonard Bielory, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, inhaler, that’s, ” Inglefield Organizations: CNN, Harvard, of Public Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, Hickory Allergy, Asthma, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, CNN Health Locations: Chan, South Korea, Hickory , North Carolina, Illinois, Texas –, Texas, New Jersey