Allergy Season Is Here, and It Will Hit Hardest in These Cities
With the winter finally easing up, allergy season will soon embark on its annual drive through our nation’s sinuses. And if you live in one of the cities listed below, it could be a particularly stuffy, sneezy, clogged spring.
You might think that a harsh winter like the one most of the country has been coping with these past few months would make for an easier allergy season, but it’s possible that the polar vortex we faced this year is going to cause Mother Nature to wreak even more havoc on our allergies.
If you live in one of the cities named in the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s list of the worst places for spring allergies, you may end up suffering worse than most. Every year, the foundation ranks U.S. cities based on pollen levels, use of allergy medications, and the number of board-certified allergists in the area to come up with a list of “allergy capitals.”
Many of the cities on the list were on last year’s list too, so if you call any of these places home, you’re probably used to a long and miserable allergy season. But if you've just moved there, well, good luck (and buy lots of tissues).
The top 10 worst cities in America for people with allergies in 2014 are:
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Oklahoma City
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Dallas
- Richmond, Virginia
- Birmingham, Alabama
- McAllen, Texas