Shorter, But More Severe Allergy Season Predicted After Record-Setting Winter

BOSTON (CBS) -- It's hard to think about allergy season when there's still snow on the ground.

But after a winter of record-setting snowfall, there's good and bad news for allergy sufferers in the Northeast, according to one expert.

First the good news: Allergy season will probably be a little shorter this year.

"The classic maple, oak and birch that cause many of our spring allergy symptoms will be pollinating later than usual," says Dr. Tanya Laidlaw, director of Translational Research in Allergy at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "We'll probably get a few days to a week or so of a shorter season."

But while a delayed start to the season will provide temporary relief, the "extraordinarily wet winter" could cause symptoms to be worse.

"The trees are really primed for a heavy pollen season so we expect that the pollen counts will be as high, if not higher than usual," Laidlaw said. "The days of symptoms might actually be more severe."

Laidlaw says preventative action is better than treating symptoms after you already have them. She recommends people begin taking their allergy medications at least a couple of days or a week before the onset of the pollen season.

Figuring out when pollen season starts is tricky, however. Looking at the trees themselves often does not provide the most telltale signs.

"The problem is that these trees that pollinate, the pollen is actually carried by wind," she said. "Even 100 or so miles south of us, if the trees are already pollinating, that wind will bring the pollen up to us."

If you're looking for allergy relief, Laidlaw recommends trying over-the-counter intranasal steroids or an oral antihistamine.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Diane Stern reports: