Facts, Prevention, and Relief for West Virginia Allergies in 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyWest Virginia is known for its history, the wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains, and the mighty Shenandoah River. However, it can be a pretty challenging state to live in for allergy sufferers. The abundance of plant life combined with the warm weather and high humidity during allergy season are a perfect storm for pollen.
If you have West Virginia allergies, you don’t have to suffer through allergy season. Wyndly can help you with your symptoms. Our doctors will create a personalized allergy plan to treat your specific allergies. Schedule your allergy consultation today or read on to learn more about West Virginia’s allergy season.
When Is West Virginia Allergy Season?
West Virginia doesn’t have a particularly long allergy season. It’s fairly typical when compared to other states. Allergy season will usually start around early March and end after the first hard frost of winter, which often happens in October or November.
Allergens by Season
Each season in West Virginia will have different allergies to deal with. Let’s take a look at these allergies.
Summer
Summer is grass allergy season in West Virginia. The primary grass allergies are from ryegrass and timothy, bent, brome, sweet vernal, orchard, fescue, and Bermuda grasses. This season will usually start in May and stop near the end of July.
Fall
Fall is when weed allergies hit West Virginia residents. Ragweed is the biggest problem, but there are also allergies to wormwood, orache, and amaranth. This season starts in August and will go until the first hard freeze, usually around October or November.
Winter
West Virginia gets a nice winter break from outdoor allergies, but indoor allergies like dust mites, pet dander, and mold should still be considered.
Spring
Spring is when tree allergies are at their worst in West Virginia. The primary offenders are oak, hickory, walnut, cedar, privet, ash, and willow trees. Tree allergies will usually start in early March and go until late May.
Common Allergens
West Virginia residents can count on tree, grass, and weed pollen as their primary seasonal allergens.
Common Symptoms
West Virginia 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 allergies will generally cause one or more of these symptoms to occur.
Allergens Around the State
Not all areas of West Virginia will have the same pollen allergies as other areas of the state. Let’s take a look at some of West Virginia’s major regions and the allergies that can be found there.
Morgantown/Wheeling/Parkersburg
The Morgantown, Wheeling, and Parkersburg areas have spring tree allergies from oak, ash, hickory, cedar, willow, walnut, and mulberry trees. Summer grass allergies include ryegrass and Bermuda, timothy, sweet vernal, bent, fescue, and orchard grasses. Fall weed allergies include ragweed, wormwood, and amaranth.
Huntington/Charleston
The Huntington and Charleston areas will start allergy season in spring with oak, walnut, willow, cedar, and ash. Grass allergies in summer will typically be related to ryegrass and brome, timothy, Bermuda, orchard, and fescue grasses. Weed allergy triggers in fall include ragweed, amaranth, and wormwood.
Beckley/Bluefield
The Beckley and Bluefield areas have tree allergies in spring with hickory, oak, walnut, cedar, ash, and willow pollen. Summer grass allergies are often from ryegrass and sweet vernal and timothy grasses. Weed allergies in fall are typically caused by ragweed and amaranth.
Snowshoe/Elkins
The Snowshoe and Elkins areas have spring tree allergies from oak, hickory, maple, ash, and walnut. Summer grass allergies are caused by timothy, orchard, fescue, and bent grasses. In fall, weed allergy triggers include amaranth and ragweed.
Testing and Diagnosis
Finding your specific allergen can be difficult during allergy season, when there is so much pollen in the air. You could be allergic to one type of pollen or multiple types, or you could have indoor allergies. With an allergy test, you can find out for sure. Wyndly makes allergy testing simple with our at-home allergy tests. Purchase your at-home allergy test today to find out the source of your allergens without a doctor’s visit or an uncomfortable skin prick test.
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
- 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 personal allergy profile. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through your personalized treatment plan.
Treatment and Remedies
Instead of putting up with your allergy symptoms during allergy season, you can use remedies and treatments to find relief. Let’s take a look at some of the options you have.
Limiting Exposure
It’s best to limit your exposure to your primary allergens as much as you can. There are a few methods you can try to avoid pollen during allergy season.
- Check the pollen count: Check the pollen count every day during allergy season. This will tell you if pollen levels are high for trees, weeds, and grass. If the pollen count is high, try to avoid going outside. If you do need to leave the house, wear a dust mask, sunglasses, and a hat.
- Keep your home clean: Try to vacuum and dust more frequently during allergy season. Vacuuming with a HEPA filter vacuum and dusting with a wet rag will be the most effective.
- Do laundry often: When pollen sticks to your clothes, it gets in your house. Be sure to do laundry more often to get pollen off your clothes.
- Shower often: Shower when you get home to get pollen off your skin and out of your hair. If you don’t have time for a shower, washing your face and hands well can help.
- Cut grass, trim trees, and pull weeds: If you want to reduce the concentration of pollen in your yard, you can keep the grass short, trim tree branches, and remove weeds.
- Keep the windows closed: Keep your windows closed so pollen can’t get in. Run your A/C instead, and install a HEPA filter if possible.
- Wipe off pets: When pets come inside, wipe them off with a towel so they don’t track in excess pollen.
Medications
Limiting your exposure may provide some measure of relief, but additional relief is often needed when allergy season is peaking. With over-the-counter allergy medications, you can find short-term relief from most symptoms. Some common options include antihistamines, eye drops, nasal sprays, and decongestants.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
When you’re ready to treat your allergies instead of just managing them temporarily, sublingual immunotherapy may be your answer. Sublingual immunotherapy is a safe and effective way to treat allergy symptoms at the source. It retrains your immune system to ignore allergen substances by introducing small, gradually increasing doses of that allergen over time. Sublingual immunotherapy is administered with liquid drops or tablets under the tongue. Unlike allergy shots, sublingual immunotherapy can be taken in the comfort of your home and doesn’t require the use of painful needles.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
If you’re looking for lifelong relief from your West Virginia allergy symptoms, Wyndly can help. Our doctors will create a personalized allergy treatment plan based on your specific allergies and allergy history. Wyndly can also deliver sublingual immunotherapy doses to your door if you’re a candidate.
Take our easy 2-minute online assessment to see if Wyndly is right for you!
West Virginia Allergy FAQs
Still have questions about West Virginia allergies? Here are some common questions and answers to help you out.
How long is West Virginia’s allergy season?
West Virginia has a typical allergy season that begins in early spring and ends in late fall.
Is allergy season bad in West Virginia?
Allergy season can be pretty bad thanks to the warm weather, high humidity, and abundance of trees, grass, and weeds.
Is West Virginia a good state if you have allergies?
West Virginia isn’t a great state for allergy sufferers, but there are worse options out there.
When is West Virginia allergy season?
The West Virginia allergy season is from March to October or November.
What are the worst months?
The worst months are April, May, June, and September.
