The southeastern Wisconsin tree pollen season officially started on March 22 - we've been a bit busy adapting to the challenges of a global pandemic on allergy practices in particular, and life in general! It's been a bit brisk, with the maximum count thus far of 719 on April 7. By comparison, last year, we didn't hit the 700 mark until April 17, and our 10-year average doesn't reach 700 until May 1. But the upcoming cooler weather should bring this back down closer to normal for the coming week.

The main news for this year is that the challenges of the global pandemic have forced a change to counting in the evening. Rather than posting the new pollen counts by noon each day, they will be posted between 8:00 to 9:00 PM on most days. In the past, the counts posted in the morning tell us what the conditions were yesterday. This year, the counts we publish in the evening will tell us what the conditions were earlier today. This will definitely help people correlate their symptoms with the level of allergens out there.

As always, for those who follow the counts and find that they have significant symptoms that correlate with the allergens outside, we encourage you to seek expert care to help stay healthy. A side effect of the global pandemic is the increased availability of telemedicine consultation with the Allergy, Asthma & Sinus Center. Expert advice is available without leaving your home through our Virtual Clinic. There is enough fear and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic already, without adding these concerns on top of feeling miserable due to your allergies. Please let us help you weather this storm as best you can!