Allergy Alert: Tidal Wave Of Pent-Up Pollen Could Be Headed Our Way

Goodbye, polar vortex. Hello, pollen vortex.

It turns out this brutally cold, miserably long, snowfest of a winter did more than wreak havoc on the bundled Mid-Atlantic masses. It also caused elms, cedars and other trees that typically flower early in the year to hold off for warmer weather.

Now, with more springlike days finally in the forecast, those trees are poised to pollinate alongside oaks, cottonwoods and pines, as well as some grasses. The result could mean a perfect storm of pollen in coming days — and an especially miserable stretch for allergy sufferers.

“Grab your Kleenex,” said Susan Kosisky, chief microbiologist at the U.S. Army’s Centralized Allergen Extract Lab. “It’s coming.”
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