Warm winter weather jumpstarts allergy season

The unusually warm winter weather is causing pollen season to start early, and many people are already experiencing allergies.

These are the things you can do now to make sure you're prepared when the pollen comes out in full force.

When the weather is nice, a walk in the park at Lake Johnson is a great pastime for many.

Now that the weather is warming up, trees are starting to bloom – and that means pollen is starting to spread through the air.

A doctor said if you suffer from allergies, you may want to reconsider spending too much time outdoors.

The highest pollen counts are usually recorded between the last week of March and the second week of April. However, warmer temperatures during winter can mean an early start to allergy season.

Dr. Edwin Kim at UNC said he’s already getting calls and seeing patients dealing with itchy, red and watery eyes, sneezing and a stuffy nose.

He said the best advice is to start taking medicine now so you can get ahead of your allergies.

"I think the biggest thing is just get those treatments started now," Dr. Kim said. "A lot of folks kind of wait till they're feeling really bad to be able to start those nose sprays and the tablets, but I feel like it's much, much harder to be able to sort of stop the symptoms once they've started, as opposed to preventing them in the first place."

Dr. Kim said the nasal sprays are the most effective. He anticipates shelves will get thin, and pharmacies will be busy for the next few weeks, as we get an early taste of Spring. So get your allergy medicine now.