Tree pollen is erupting in the Philly region as itchy-eye and sneezing season begins

Maybe the clock change has energized the trees: Whatever the reasons, they evidently are springing forth with mass quantities of pollen in the Philadelphia region to torment allergy sufferers.

The pollen levels were “very high” Wednesday — 14 times higher than in Tuesday morning’s 24-hour sample — said Donald Dvorin, with the Allergy and Asthma Doctors practice in Mount Laurel, Burlington County.

The Asthma Center, in Center City, also reported “very high” counts Wednesday and again on Thursday morning. In Mount Laurel, counts still were about eight times higher than Tuesday, Dvorin said.

“We’ve definitely seen an upsurge in patients,” said Dvorin, the region’s only National Allergy Bureau certified counter. Eye-discomfort complaints — which are quite common, along with sneezing — during allergy season have been especially prevalent, he said.

Both Dvorin, who analyzes pollen manually, and the Asthma Center, which uses “machine-learning equipped sensors,” indicted cedar pollen as a prime tormentor.

The pollen-dampening rains likely were providing some relief during the day Thursday, but the season is just beginning.

Dvorin said that while it is not all that unusual for trees to reach high levels in mid-March, the recentgenerally warm and dry conditions now appear ripe for a harvest of pollen flight. He expects the peak in two to three weeks.

Temperatures since Feb. 1 have averaged nearly 4 degrees above long-term normal, hitting 70 or better four times in Philadelphia. While it’s been dry lately, the trees were well-watered with above-normal precipitation July through October.

Last week Dvorin, who uses a trap that he empties in the morning to analyze the 24-hour sample with a microscope, posted that he found “several tree pollens” before their times, including from pines that normally don’t appear until June.

A study published in the journal Nature on Tuesday concluded that increasing carbon-dioxide concentrations and warming from climate change were likely to lengthen and intensify allergy seasons.

Not exactly what the allergic wanted to hear. The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology reports that more than 50 million Americans suffer from various pollen allergies. Those numbers might be highest and the symptoms the worst in urban areas such as Philadelphia.

In the short term, sufferers around here should get relief as a substantial pollen-grounding rainfall is due Thursday.

Doctors advise that some symptoms of the coronavirus and seasonal allergies can overlap, including coughing, fatigue, headache, and a loss of smell.

» READ MORE: Allergies and COVID, the differences

However, allergies are not associated with fevers, chills, sore throats, muscle pain, or intestinal problems.

Here is a handy chart summarizing the differences, courtesy of the Asthma Center.