For allergy sufferers, the coming of spring isn't always so wonderful.
And there are hints that this year's allergy season might come earlier and be more severe than in past years.
This year's late thaw, combined with the abundant rains of the last few weeks, could make for abundant flowers and lush lawns — which means, plenty of pollen in the air, particularly at the end of April or beginning of May.
In fact, pollen counts have been relatively high for the past week in the Montreal area.
"Depending on what you're allergic to, once things start turning green and once you start seeing the leaves, and you start seeing the grass, allergy season will begin," CJAD 800's medical expert Dr. Mitch Shulman says. 'And anything that makes that happen faster, or more abundantly — enough sunlight, enough rain — all these things will accelerate the season."
Meanwhile, Dr. Mitch says if you're one of those people who are used to suffering through the grass and tree pollen season in the spring, it might be a good idea to start stocking up on medication now.
"You're seeing things start to green up now, you know in the next little while, you're going to get into trouble. So you might as well start your medication. For those of you who get shots, you may want to certain sure you're seen by your allergist, to get your injections to minimize your allergies this season and maybe prevent them completely."
In the meantime, even without medication, Dr. Mitch says there are ways you can make things easier on yourself during allergy season — invest in air filters, minimize your time spent outdoors, and if you can't avoid spending time outdoors, particularly if you do any yard work, then you might want to consider washing your clothes, or even showering, to reduce your potential exposure to pollen.