Weather & Allergies

The relationship between weather and allergies is a long one, as allergy sufferers well know. But what you may not know is that weather and allergies can collide at any time of the year.

Mold

• Mold frequently shows up anytime that damp conditions coincide with warm temperatures, in areas with stagnant air and darkness. Snowy conditions--especially when wet clothes end up in warm, dark piles--can create breeding grounds for allergy-causing mold.

Pollen

• Of course, spring and summer bring acres of color as plants blossom and create pollen. Airborne pollen creates so much trouble that most areas maintain a pollen alert to inform allergy sufferers of particularly troublesome conditions.

Asthma

• Allergic asthma (asthma triggered by allergic reactions) is a fact of life for many people. Although any sort of allergy can be the source of such problems, pollen and mold--both weather-related--are two common triggers.

Cold Temperatures

• The Mayo Clinic lists cold urticaria (also called cold allergy and cold hives) as a possible health problem for many people. If you have cold urticaria, you are literally allergic to cold temperatures.

Warm Temperatures

• It is ironic that the weather we most enjoy--the warm (or hot) temperatures of spring, summer and fall -- create so many of the sources of our allergies. In addition to the direct causes of allergy, such as pollen, warm temperatures can cause our bodies to dry out more than normal. The drying process then makes normally moist air passages (like the sinuses, throat and lungs) more susceptible to the allergens themselves.