MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis is widely known as one of the worst cities in the country for allergies.
Unusually warm temperatures have greenery in bloom early.
“When the weather changes that’s when pollen comes out, and it aggravates even some of my kids,” Memphis resident L.C. Reed said. He said he is not surprised to hear when it comes to allergies, Memphis ranks as one of the roughest areas.
Our weather expert Tim Simpson said the mild winter had a big impact on the pollen count.
“These warmer temperatures probably caused by the worse El Nino that we’ve had since 1997,” he said. “Actually the outlook for the next few weeks is for us to have some really bad allergy issues.”
Dr. Helen Morrow said to top it off, flu season hit late this year, so we are getting hit all at once, “A lot of the symptoms, the nasal congestion and all, will be overlapping between allergies and the flu.”
In addition to taking allergy medication, Morrow said you may want to go a step further and take off shoes and outerwear immediately after being outdoors.
“Remember the allergens and the pollen are going to be on your clothes. So you may need to wash things more.”
Last year, Knoxville and Jackson, Mississippi, were among those ranked high for allergies.
