Allergy season arrives early in Colorado after warm winter
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As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. But not this year. Instead, an unseasonably warm and dry February is bringing March flowers.
Why it matters: Allergy season is arriving much earlier than usual.
Driving the news: The unseasonably warm winter prompted trees, shrubs and flowers in Denver to start blooming in late February.
- It's nothing to sneeze at: About 25% of adults have seasonal allergies.
What they're saying: "Most of the time, I'm telling patients around the 1st of March is when to start medical therapy for springtime allergens," Levi Keller, an assistant professor in allergy and clinical immunology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, recently told KUNC.
- "But this year, it was probably around Valentine's Day or so that people were starting to feel a little bit more symptomatic."
The big picture: The days between the last and first frost in Denver have increased in recent years, even though the trend line indicates a six-day shorter growing season since 1970, a new report from Climate Central shows.
- Based on his patient load, Keller estimates that the allergy season is about 10-14 days longer based on periods with temperatures above freezing.