Salt Lake's allergy seasons are getting longer
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Allergy season is 24 days longer, on average, in Salt Lake City than it was in 1970, per a new Climate Central analysis.
By the numbers: In nearly 90% of 198 U.S. cities analyzed, freeze-free growing seasons lengthened by an average of 21 days.
- That's the time between the last and first freeze, used here to represent allergy season.
What they're saying: "A longer allergy season is nothing to sneeze at — it's a clear signal of a warming world, driven by carbon pollution," Kristy Dahl, the organization's vice president for science, wrote in a statement.
The latest: SLC's extremely warm winter has triggered early plant development — and Utah's dry air makes pollen levels even worse.
- Provo, Ogden and SLC were ranked among the nation's most challenging cities to live with allergies in a report last week by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
What's next: Pollen levels are expected to be medium-high Thursday and high through the weekend, per forecasts at Pollen.com.