AUSTIN -- Some allergy sufferers may have experienced some slight relief Wednesday as the rain washed pollen out of trees, but likely only for a day.
According to Doctor Christopher Thompson with Texan Allergy and Sinus Center, oak pollen is causing allergy problems for people in Texas.
"Oak's everywhere in Texas. I just had a patient drive up from the valley, and she said it's terrible down there," said Thompson. "And they've had a lot of wind too, so it's really kicked it up. But yeah, oak is everywhere. So we've had a lot of rain this winter, as you probably remember, and that has spawned a lot of pollination for the oak trees. I think also combined with the windy weather we've had over the past week or two, it's really stirred up the pollen so that it's all over our cars. They're turning green, you can see the little green things on the ground, those little particles are getting in our noses too, and a lot of our noses don't like it."
He said the oak allergy season started a few weeks ago and should last through April.
You could see symptoms of a runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing and poor sleeping.
Chris Ware has lived in Austin since 1989 and recently had more problems with allergies himself.
"A couple weeks ago, something blew in and my eyes swelled shut to where I needed to make an appointment down here and come see the doctor and figure out exactly what's going on,” said Ware. "I thought that I was allergic to cedar, but recently the cedar wasn't very high. I've been watching the news, and watching the pollen count. Cedar wasn't high but oak was, so that's when I decided I needed to figure out exactly what is causing my problem.”
Thompson said the easiest way to prevent allergies is with a nasal saline irrigation, like a Neti Pot, and shower the pollen off at the end of the day.
If that doesn't work, Thompson suggests trying an antihistamine or allergy drops.
Thompson said the rain could help wash away the oak for a small relief.
"The rain's going to help the oak, it will knock it out of the air, for a day or so, but yeah, the mold may pop up a little bit now that we've had the moisture,” said Thompson.
"Most people that move to Austin say they don't have allergies, but I tell them they will have allergies eventually if you move here. The bad thing about allergies is the itchy watery eyes, runny nose, can't breathe, so basically makes you feel like you're miserable all the time,” said Ware.