ROANOKE, Va. – Though our current cold snap provides temporary relief from the sneezing, coughing and itching that comes with allergy season, the growing season as a whole is growing.
This is due, in part, to the warming trend on a local, statewide and national level. In Roanoke City alone, three of the top five warmest years have come within the last decade.
Meteorologist Sean Sublette with Climate Central says the data shows how much longer the growing season has become in our area in the last five decades.
“On any average year, it’s a couple weeks longer than it was about 50 years ago.”
What that means is that pollen can show up earlier and last longer into the year. For those with more severe allergies, “This can trigger asthma attacks and can lead to more hospitalizations.”
Sublette tells us that’s already been seen in larger urban centers in the Northeast. The main driver to a warming planet is the increased emission in carbon dioxide. A 2014 study in Massachusetts shows that with more carbon dioxide comes an increase in pollen.
Sublette referenced that study in our interview with him, saying, “We’ll probably have about twice as much pollen in the air in 2060 than we did in 2000.”
It’s not just on a large scale. Even smaller cities like Roanoke have a bit of an urban heat island effect - an effect created by urban infrastructure that absorbs the sun’s heat more than the natural landscape.
“Urban heat island plays a role, but it is in concert with the planetary warming signal.”
What we can do to curb the impact of a longer allergy season? Sublette brings us back to what many were taught at home, saying you “Certainly be less wasteful. My momma taught me that, and I’m sure your momma taught you that too…you just waste less stuff.”
He even says that if you’ve been considering a dietary change, like going more plant-based, that could even be a small step.