Facts, Prevention and Relief for New York Allergies in 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyNew York is a diverse state, with beautiful nature and one of the most iconic cities in the world. As for seasonal allergies, you can expect a pretty typical annual schedule. New York experiences all seasons, with warm summers and springs, cool falls, and cold winters. This means that you may find relief from outdoor allergies in winter and expect the usual suspects for the rest of the year.
Of course, New York isn’t immune to the effects of dust, pollution, and mold allergies, which can cause issues year-round. But what specific outdoor allergies do you need to watch out for when pollen is in the air? Certain allergens are going to be more prominent than others, depending on the seasons.
Wyndly can help with whatever environmental allergies are causing your symptoms. Our doctors will create a personalized allergy plan that will treat your New York allergies. Get started with your personalized treatment plan from Wyndly, or read on to learn more about New York’s allergy seasons.
When Is New York Allergy Season?
New York allergy season will typically start sometime in late February/early March and end in late October. The cold winters provide a welcome relief from pollen allergies, but indoor allergies should still be considered. Let’s take a closer look at the seasons and their specific allergens.
Allergens by Season
Each New York season comes with its own set of allergens. If you’re allergic to multiple pollens, your allergy season may be longer than others.
Summer
As in many states, grass pollen will be the most prevalent summer allergen. Bermuda, timothy, and sweet vernal grass are particularly allergenic and will be significant contributors to summer allergies.
Fall
The ever-present ragweed causes the most allergies in the fall. Ragweed can be found in almost every state, and New York is no exception. Sagebrush can also cause issues during this season.
Winter
The cold New York winters should provide some relief. Typically pollen allergy sufferers will find that their symptoms subside after the first frost. As always, be wary of indoor allergens at this time, like mold, dust, and cockroaches.
Spring
If the climate is amenable, trees can start releasing pollen in February. Once the weather warms up, tree pollen season will take over. New York residents will primarily deal with oak, cypress, maple, and hickory allergies.
Common Allergens
New York has many of the same common allergens as other parts of the U.S. Grass, weeds, and trees also contribute to allergies. Pollution, cockroaches, and mold can all contribute to New York allergies as well.
Common Symptoms
New York residents can expect to experience several common allergy symptoms, including:
- Runny nose
- Coughing
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Headaches
- Scratchy throat
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Hives
- 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
All areas of New York will have airborne allergies of one kind or another, but some plant species may be more prominent depending on which region you live in. As for the most common allergy in New York overall, the culprit behind it is cat dander. Let’s take a closer look at allergens by city.
Buffalo/Rochester/Syracuse
The Buffalo/Rochester/Syracuse area will deal with oak, walnut, hickory, maple, and willow tree pollen in spring. Timothy, orchard, and sweet vernal grass are the primary pollen producers in summer. Weed allergies pick up in fall, with ragweed and wormwood.
Albany/Poughkeepsie
In the Albany/Poughkeepsie area, oak, cedar, willow, and hickory trees release pollen heavily in spring. Bent, timothy, and sweet vernal grasses top the allergen pollen producers in summer. Once fall comes around, ragweed and wormwood cause the most problems.
Utica/Watertown/Plattsburgh
The Utica/Watertown/Plattsburgh area can expect oak, hickory, walnut, and ash to be heavy sources of pollen in spring. When summer comes around, timothy, corn, and fescue grass will start their season. For fall, ragweed and wormwood appear again as the prominent pollen producers.
New York City/Riverhead
Those in the New York City/Riverhead area should be wary of oak, hickory, walnut, ash, and maple tree pollen in spring. For summer, timothy, Bermuda, and rye grass can cause problems. Ragweed, orache, and sagebrush are at their worst in fall.
Testing and Diagnosis
With the various tree, grass, and weed species, it can be very difficult to self-diagnose the source of your allergies. With an allergy test, you can quickly identify the source so you can start properly managing your symptoms. With Wyndly’s convenient at-home allergy test, you can avoid the painful tests and the doctor’s visit. Get your at-home test today.
Here’s 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 pain by getting an at-home test.
Modern and Efficient At-Home Method
- Get 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 allergy profile. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through a treatment plan.
Treatment and Remedies
If you have allergies, you don’t have to continue to suffer from your symptoms. There is relief out there for you. Here are things you can do to manage or treat your symptoms.
Limit Exposure
If you want to reduce the level of pollen you’re exposed to, you’ll have to take certain measures and make some lifestyle changes. We have some suggestions.
- Watch the pollen count: Make sure to check the pollen count before going outside. If it’s high, it’s a good idea to stay indoors as much as possible. Wearing a mask can help reduce your exposure if you do go outside.
- Vacuum often: Pollen can get in your home quite easily; vacuuming often with a HEPA-filter vacuum can help reduce indoor pollen levels.
- Wash clothes often: Doing laundry often can help reduce the pollen on your clothes. Avoid drying your clothes outside.
- Cut grass, trim trees, use herbicide: Cutting grass, trimming trees, and using a natural herbicide on weeds can help cut down on pollen levels in your immediate vicinity.
- Take showers after being outside: If you’re outside on a high pollen day, rinsing your hair and body afterward can get the sticky pollen off.
- Use your air conditioner: On high pollen days, keep your windows closed and run your A/C instead. It’s also a good idea to put a HEPA filter on your system.
- Avoid outdoor activity in the morning: Pollen levels are usually highest in the morning, so avoiding exercise and other outdoor activity during this time can help limit exposure.
Medication
Limiting exposure can help those with mild symptoms, but pollen is very hard to avoid. Many people will need further help to find relief. You can over-the-counter allergy meds like antihistamines, eye drops, nasal sprays, and decongestants. If these don’t work for you, you can talk to your doctor about prescriptions, but the only effective long-term allergy treatment is immunotherapy.
Sublingual Immunotherapy Allergy Drops
Medications and lifestyle changes can certainly bring you short-term relief, but they don’t get rid of your symptoms for good. They just manage them. With sublingual immunotherapy allergy drops, you can retrain your immune system to ignore your allergy triggers. Unlike allergy shots, allergy drops are pain-free and don’t require frequent visits to the doctor. If you’re interested in long-term relief from your allergies, Wyndly can help.
Beat Your Allergies Forever
When you’re tired of just managing your symptoms every time allergy season comes around, turn to Wyndly. Wyndly will create a personalized treatment plan to address your New York allergies. Your plan may include sublingual immunotherapy allergy drops to gradually teach your body to react normally to harmless allergy substances.
Get an allergy consultation from Wyndly today if you’re interested in finding lifelong relief.
New York Allergy FAQs
Still have questions about New York allergies? Here are some common questions and answers.
How long is New York’s allergy season?
New York has a typical allergy season, lasting from early spring to mid-fall.
Why is allergy season so bad in New York?
New York has an abundance of tree life, making it especially bad for spring allergy sufferers.
Is New York a good state if you have allergies?
Those with pollen allergies will likely find relief in winter but can expect high amounts of pollen the rest of the year.
When is the New York allergy season?
It is typically from early March to late October, though mild weather can make allergy season longer.
What are the worst months?
Which months are the worst depends on what you’re allergic to. Generally, it’s spring months for trees, summer months for grass, and autumn months for weeds.
