Facts, Prevention, and Relief for South Dakota Allergies in 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlySouth Dakota is a state known for its rolling plains and the stunning wilderness of the Black Hills. It also has incredible monuments like Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. When it comes to allergies, South Dakota is roughly in the middle of the pack. It’s not the worst place to live with allergies, but it’s not ranked among the best either.
If you have South Dakota allergies, Wyndly can help. Our doctors can create a personalized allergy plan based on your specific allergens and allergy profile. Schedule a consultation with Wyndly today, or read on to learn more about South Dakota allergies.
When Is South Dakota Allergy Season?
As a midwestern state, South Dakota experiences just about every season in its entirety, meaning you get hot summers, moderate falls and springs, and cold winters. This makes allergy season fairly typical, beginning in early spring and going until the first frost of winter.
Allergens by Season
Let’s take a look at some of the allergens that are common to South Dakota’s seasons.
Summer
Summer is grass allergy season for South Dakota. The season usually starts in May and goes into July. Summer grass allergies in South Dakota may include bluegrass, ryegrass, timothy, Johnson, redtop, orchard, Bermuda, and fescue grass pollen.
Fall
In fall, weed allergies are the most common. The weed allergies in South Dakota usually include ragweed, sagebrush, dock, marsh elder, Russian thistle, and pigweed.
Winter
South Dakota gets plenty cold in winter, saving allergy sufferers from pollen allergies for a while. However, indoor allergens like dust mites, mold, and pet dander will still be a concern.
Spring
South Dakota has an abundance of trees thanks to its wilderness, like the Black Hills National Forest. In spring, tree allergies are at their worst, with the culprits including ash, elm, birch, maple, oak, and willow.
Common Allergens
South Dakota residents can expect many of the same allergens the rest of the country experiences. This means seasonal tree, weed, and grass pollen allergies and indoor allergies such as dust mites, mold, and pet dander year-round.
Common Symptoms
South Dakota residents can expect the following allergy symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Coughing
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Headaches
- Scratchy throat
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Hives
- Aggravated asthma symptoms
As always, reactions will vary from person to person, but in general, allergies will cause one or more of these symptoms to occur.
Allergens Around the State
The common pollen allergies may vary based on what part of South Dakota you live in. Let’s take a look at some of the allergies in different regions of South Dakota.
Hot Springs/Rapid City
The Hot Springs and Rapid City areas will have spring tree allergies from box elder, maple, willow, and ash trees. Summer grass allergies usually include bluegrass, ryegrass, timothy, and bent grasses. In fall, weed allergies include ragweed, wormwood, sagebrush, oldman, and amaranth.
Mobridge/Pierre
The Mobridge and Pierre areas will kick off spring allergy season with tree pollen from box elder, oak, maple, willow, and ash trees. Summer grass allergies include corn and prairie grass. Fall weed allergies include wormwood, oldman, and sagebrush.
Aberdeen/Watertown/Mitchell
The Aberdeen, Watertown, and Mitchell spring tree allergies include maple, oak, ash, and willow trees. In summer, grass allergies are usually from corn and bent pollen. Fall weed allergies are from ragweed, wormwood, and sagebrush.
Brookings/Sioux Falls
The Brookings and Sioux Falls areas will have spring allergies from walnut, box elder, maple, oak, ash, willow, and cedar trees. In summer, grass allergies take over, with timothy, corn, and bent pollen. Fall weed allergies include wormwood and ragweed.
Vermillion/Yankton
Residents of Vermillion and Yankton can expect allergy season to start with tree spring allergies from walnut, oak, maple, cedar, ash, and willow trees. Summer grass allergies include corn and prairie grass. In fall, weed allergies include ragweed and amaranth.
Testing and Diagnosis
With so much pollen in the air throughout allergy season and with indoor allergies being year-round, it can be almost impossible to identify the specific source of your allergies. With an allergy test, you can learn your primary allergens. Wyndly makes allergy testing easy with our at-home allergy tests. Order your at-home test from Wyndly today!
Let’s look into how different allergy testing options work.
Old-Fashioned Method: Skin Prick Test at Your Doctor’s Office
Skin prick testing requires you to go to the doctor to find out your allergen triggers. It’s often uncomfortable, and it takes time out of your day. You’ll go to the doctor’s office, they’ll administer a test where they prick or scrape your skin with a needle tipped with different allergens, and then they’ll observe the areas they pricked for itchiness, redness, or swelling. All in all, it’s not a pleasant experience. Instead, you can save yourself time and discomfort by getting an at-home test.
Modern and Efficient At-Home Method
- Order Wyndly’s at-home allergy test. We ship our CLIA-certified test straight to your door.
- Take the allergy test and send it back to us. Just do a quick finger prick test to provide us with a blood sample and mail it back when you’re done.
- Receive your personalized treatment plan. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through a treatment plan.
Treatment and Remedies
Allergies can affect your daily life or just cause general discomfort. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to manage and even treat your allergy symptoms. There are several methods you may want to try.
Limiting Exposure
Limiting your exposure is a good first step in managing your allergy symptoms. Airborne allergies can be difficult to avoid, but certain measures can help.
- Check the pollen count: It’s a good idea to check the pollen count when you wake up in the morning. This will give you an idea of how bad your allergies might be that day. If pollen levels are high, try to stay indoors as much as possible. If you do go outside, wearing a mask, hat, and sunglasses can help keep exposure to a minimum.
- Trim tree branches, pull weeds, and cut grass: It might not make a huge difference, but trimming tree branches, getting rid of weeds, and keeping grass short can help reduce the amount of pollen they produce, which can reduce pollen levels around your home.
- Keep the house clean: Take care to keep your house extra clean during allergy season. Vacuuming with a HEPA filter vacuum and dusting with a wet rag are both good ways to get rid of pollen.
- Take shoes off: When you get home, removing your shoes can keep you from tracking in extra pollen.
- Wipe off pets: When your pets come inside, be sure to wipe off their paws and fur with a towel. This will ensure they don’t track in too much pollen either.
- Shower after being outside: After being outside, it’s a good idea to rinse pollen off your skin and hair. If you don’t have the time or energy for a shower, washing your hands and face can help too.
Medications
Although limiting exposure may be effective for some people, many more will need additional help from allergy medications. There are a wide variety of over-the-counter options such as antihistamines, nasal sprays, eye drops, and decongestants.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
If you’re looking for long-term allergy relief and treatment, sublingual immunotherapy is the best option. Sublingual immunotherapy doesn’t just manage your symptoms, it addresses them at their source, providing long-term allergy relief. When you use sublingual immunotherapy, your immune system is retrained to ignore allergy substances instead of triggering an allergic response. This is done through small, gradually increasing doses of your allergen.
Allergy shots can be painful and require a visit to the doctor for each dose. Sublingual immunotherapy is painless and can be self-administered at home.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
If you’re ready to get lifelong allergy relief, choose Wyndly. Our doctors provide one-on-one allergy care and a personalized treatment plan for your South Dakota allergies. Schedule your consultation today to see how Wyndly can help you live an allergy-free life.
South Dakota Allergy FAQs
Still have questions about South Dakota allergies? Here are some common questions and answers to help you out.
How long is South Dakota’s allergy season?
South Dakota has a fairly typical allergy season. Expect the season to start in early spring and end after the first frost.
Is allergy season bad in South Dakota?
South Dakota isn’t particularly bad for allergies, but there is an abundance of plant life in certain areas.
Is South Dakota a good state if you have allergies?
South Dakota isn’t ranked near the top or the bottom of the best states for allergy sufferers. It’s about average as far as allergies go.
When is the South Dakota allergy season?
South Dakota allergy season will usually start around the end of February and go into the first hard freeze of winter.
What are the worst months?
The worst months are usually April, May, June, and September.
