We’re in for a particularly bad allergy season – why your go-to medicine might not work anymore

We need a strong bullet.

Every year, seasonal allergy warnings grow louder—as do the sounds of sneezing, sneezing, and hacking.

You can blame warmer temperatures, which “extend the pollen season,” and pollutants in the air that “can increase the potency of pollen allergens,” said NYU Langone allergist Dr. Stephanie Maurett.

Other human activities can make the problem worse, such as landscaping with non-native plants that produce more allergens.

A combination of these factors may be why adults are increasingly being diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, Mauert told the Post. By 2023, the CDC reports that 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 children in the United States will have seasonal allergies.

It may also help explain why your trusted allergy medications aren’t working as well as they used to.

There is no cure for seasonal allergies, but many people reach for daily pills and nasal sprays to help manage symptoms.

Unfortunately, high concentrations of strong pollen can be resistant to standard allergy treatments for people with relatively severe seasonal allergies.

Short of locking yourself in an air-conditioned room until July, Mowert recommends keeping your pollen exposure to a minimum by keeping windows closed, using air conditioning or air filters, showering before bed and using OTC nasal saline washes.

“Research supports the initiation of pharmacologic treatments, such as nasal sprays before the start of pollen season, to help reduce symptoms,” she said, adding that concerned individuals can monitor pollen load and air quality in their area using apps such as PollenWise or AirRater.

If symptoms persist, it may be time to see an allergist.

Skin tests and blood work can identify the type of allergen causing the problem, including certain pollens. An allergist can also evaluate for other allergic disorders, “because some patients with rhinitis may be at risk for developing allergic asthma.”

Some patients need to work with an allergist to develop a more detailed treatment plan. This may include allergen immunotherapy — also known as allergy shots — which is “a specific treatment protocol aimed at changing the way the immune system reacts to stimuli” with the goal of “less reaction, and as a result, greater tolerance to allergens over time.”

Environmental allergies that cause allergic rhinitis can arise at any time of life.

“The prevalence of allergic rhinitis peaks between the ages of 20 and 40, but many patients develop allergy symptoms even at a younger age,” Mohert said. “A period of allergic sensitization must occur, and for this reason, the youngest age of onset of environmental allergy symptoms is usually after age 3.”

And while allergic rhinitis shares many characteristics with an upper respiratory infection (viral cold), they are not the same.

Both are usually accompanied by nasal congestion, sneezing or nasal congestion, Mawert said. But a fever is a sign of infection, “and a loss of smell or a sore throat is more common in viral infections.” Nasal itching, on the other hand, is usually associated with allergies.

While the pollen season in the Northeast usually ends in late May or early June, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that between 1995 and 2011, studies have shown that warm weather in the United States has extended anywhere from 11 to 27 days.

Climate Central attributes this to the number of “frost-free days” each year, which “give plants more time to grow and release allergy-inducing pollen.”

From 1970 to 2025, the frost-free growing season lengthened by an average of 21 days in 173 U.S. cities.

“As temperatures rise, frost-free seasons are expanding in every region of the country, giving plants weeks of extra time to grow and release pollen,” said Christy Dahl, deputy director of science at the Climate Center. “For millions of Americans, this means earlier, longer and often more severe allergy seasons that can take a real toll on health and daily life.”

“This is a clear sign of a warming world driven by carbon pollution,” she said, adding, “A prolonged allergy season is nothing to sneeze at.”