TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Most days a nice cool wind feels good in Tampa Bay. However, as spring approaches, the wind is spreading a bit of misery in the form of pollen.
“It stains your car. It stains your clothes. It stains your pool deck. It stains your patio furniture,” said arborist Marti Machado. “Some years are worse than others. This one I would say is about normal. It’s not worse than others.”
He deals with this every day.
It causes itchy watery eyes, headaches and even throat aches. Not to mention the unflattering shade of dirty green that coats our cars.
“Oak trees are just one of them. Right now, mango trees are loaded with blossoms and they are very fragrant and a lot of bees are attracted to the mango blossoms.”
And when your sinuses get loaded, what can you do?
“We see a lot of people coming in with sinus pressure, runny watery eyes, itchy nose, scratchy throat,” said Dr. Paul Nanda with Tampa General Hospital Urgent Care.
He said over-the-counter meds help relieve sinus pressure and congestion.
However, “if the symptoms are severe, especially if you have underlying conditions like asthma, sometimes when the pollen count is really high… it’s best to stay indoors where you have air conditioning and filtered air.”
Unfortunately, that is not really an option for Machado, who spends most of his day outside.
So when can we expect it to end?
“In the next few weeks. Let’s get a couple good rainstorms and right now, you’ll notice we’re in the early stages of it.”
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