Allergy Season Kicks In Early

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - From the sneezing, to the sniffling and the watery eyes, allergy season is upon us, arriving much sooner than normal.

Doctors say allergy season usually strikes in spring, but here we are still in winter and people are feeling those symptoms.

Allergy doctors on Tuesday were testing people all day. "The wind was particularly obnoxious today, so it brought people in," said Dr. Bradley E. Chipps of the Capital Allergy & Respiratory Disease Center in Sacramento.

With the cooler air and blooms blowing, people were feeling pain as pollen permeates.

Pam Lim had all the symptoms. "Hay fever, asthma, itchy eyes," she said Tuesday afternoon. Nevertheless, she was still outside jogging.

"Yeah, I'm still running. I have a race on Saturday," she said.

This dryer-than-normal winter means tree, grass and weed pollens are already out, making their unwelcomed appearance weeks too soon. This likely means a longer allergy season, ending only when temperatures hit triple digits.