Spring is upon us and we can welcome warmer weather and brighter days. But that also means allergy season is upon us – and while we’ve been enjoying some beautiful spring weather lately, many of us have been sniffling and sneezing.

Pollen levels will remain elevated this week with some warmer spring weather – primarily tree and mold. We’ll look for some rain mid/late week to help suppress pollen levels briefly.

There’s also a slight connection between climate change and our allergy season, with the climate and atmosphere warming, our spring season has seen an uptick in the average temperature since the 1970s. As a result, the spring season in Hampton Roads features about 12 additional days where temperatures are above normal. Nearly two weeks – which could lead to an early bloom of pollen, essentially extending the allergy season.

Meteorologist Steve Fundaro