Dealing with sneezes, sniffles
Orlando ranks high for worst seasonal allergies
Few cities across the country can compete with Orlando — at least when it comes to hay fever.
Orlando ranks among the top 20 most challenging cities for those living with allergies in the 2024 Allergy Capitals report by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
The report ranks the 100-largest metropolitan cities in the U.S. Based on Orlando’s No. 16 ranking, the city is considered to be “worse than average” in taking on the burden of seasonal allergies. The only other Florida city on the list is Sarasota ranked at 13.
This year, Wichita, Kansas, takes the top spot due to its higher-than-average tree and grass pollen, higher-than-average medicine use and limited access to allergy specialists, according to the report. At the bottom of the list ranked at 100 as the least-challenging city is Akron, Ohio.
Many Orlando residents feel the effects of the city’s plentiful pollen.
Ethan Taylor said he’s suffering from several symptoms of hay fever this spring along with it’s interference with day to day life as a UCF student.
“It’s so annoying to do everyday activities. Going to the gym is annoying, it interferes with my schoolwork, even hanging out with friends,” Taylor said. “I don’t want to come around them feeling so stuffy because it makes the experience much, much worse.”
Robert Roering said as an avid runner his active lifestyle is interrupted by allergic reactions from pollen.
“I’ve been refraining from running altogether because I would have to use my inhaler probably after the first 10 minutes,” Roering said. “It definitely sucks. It was something I looked forward to everyday that I don’t get to do now.”
According to Pollen.com, the pollen count level — which ranges from a low of 0 to a high of 12 — is forecast at medium-high to high in Orlando in the coming days: 9.3 today, 10.1 on Tuesday and 9.4 on Wednesday.
Types of pollen prevalent here in springtime come from oak trees, bayberry shrubs and grasses, according to the website, and levels now are near seasonal peak.
Oak is one of the biggest offenders for arboreal crimes against Orlando residents. The trees have one of the longest pollen-producing seasons in Central Florida and it doesn’t help that there are 19 species of oak native to Florida, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Hannah Jaffee, research manager for AAFA, said climate change has had a large impact on pollen season.
“Pollen seasons start 20 days earlier and last 10 days longer compared to 30 years ago,” Jaffee said.
She said that Florida already has warmer winters than much of the U.S. and in combination with climate change, the “perfect storm” is created to allow plants to grow and produce pollen for longer periods of time.
“As climate change continues to impact these temperatures and the growing seasons, it’s no surprise that cities in the South tend to be the most impacted,” Jaffee said.