Bay Area heat wave bringing an early start to allergy season

By CBS Bay Area

The signs of Spring are abundant at Lafayette’s Orchard Nursery. But with it comes a familiar foe that Ryan Whitman knows all too well.

“I used to be out of commission for a week or two, is what I would expect during this time period,” he shared.

Whitman might as well live in the belly of the spring allergy beast. His office space is quite literally a garden. His day-to-day job has him spending hours with the very thing that makes him sneeze.

“It’s definitely something that I don’t look forward to, but it definitely can’t be avoided,” he added.

Whitman says he’s gotten a better handle on his allergies in recent years, but they still bother him, especially right now. And he says he’s far from alone.

“I definitely notice when I am helping customers that they are sneezing and sniffling. Unfortunately, that’s just the environment we are in,” he said.

Yes, a garden center can test the will of anyone sensitive to pollen this time of year. However, Kaiser Permanente Allergist Dr. Lindsay Finkas says this allergy season is off to a strong start across the Bay Area.

“With the lack of rain, that can sometimes give us a break with pollen in the air,” Finkas explained. “So these longer stretches of warmer weather can definitely expose us to more pollen.”

Finkas anticipates a rougher season this year if the temps continue to stay high and the rain stays away. Not an ideal forecast for someone like Whitman, but that won’t stop him from doing what he’s passionate about.

“I’ve always loved plants and taking care of them, so I guess it’s just a hazard of the expertise,” Ryan added.

So, when his allergies flare up, just like they are right now, Whitman also knows that his plants are thriving. To him, a stuffy nose is a small price to pay to be surrounded by such beauty.