The main culprit behind the pesky fall allergies is ragweed, which grows throughout the country but especially in the East, and each plant can produce up to 1 billion pollen grains, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
The curtain begins to close on fall allergies with the arrival of the first frosty mornings, when overnight temperatures fall to 32 degrees or below, signaling plants to stop producing pollen. But over the year, the first frost has slowly been pushed into November.
On average, Boston typically sees its first frost around Nov. 5, a week later than the average date in 1970, according to Boston Globe meteorologist Ken Mahan. The Boston area could see its first frost this Sunday night, but it will likely not be cold enough, with temperatures forecasted to in the mid- to upper 30s.
And with a warming trend expected in the region next week, this could be another year where the first frost won't arrive until after Nov. 5, Mahan said.
And while allergy symptoms subside after the first frost, it isn't until the first "killing frost" arrives -- with temperatures below 28 degrees -- that many plants die. Mahan said the average first day of killing frost in Boston is Nov. 15, and that's been relatively steady for the past 10 years.
Until that cold weather sets in, here are some tips to get through the final stretch of the fall allergy season.
It's sometimes hard to tell if a runny nose is the result of seasonal allergies or a virus. The key difference, Hernandez said, is the itch.
"Runny nose, sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes, itchy throat, watery eyes, red eyes -- those are typically your most common symptoms of allergies that can really be distinguished from a common cold," she said. "With a cold that's due to a virus or bacteria, you will not experience any of those itchy symptoms. You can have the runny nose or congestion and the sneezing, but it should not be itchy."
Dr. Lynda Kabbash, an allergist with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said sneezing is "one of the hallmark" symptoms of allergies, particularly if it lasts for days.
"If you're sneezing repeatedly, that's a sign of allergy," Kabbash said. If it's recently rained and the pollen has been washed away but your sneeze is still lingering, then it's probably a cold, she said.
You don't have to stay indoors all day long, but if you're susceptible to pollen allergies, doctors recommend limiting your exposure to the powdery substance.
Kabbash said she encourages patients to check online for the pollen levels in their area daily. Most weather apps include a pollen forecast. If pollen levels are up and you need to venture out anyway, Kabbash suggests covering your face and wearing a hat to keep the pollen out of your hair.
"One thing you can do is wear a mask, but most of my patients are over masks," she said.
When you return home, Kabbash said it is important to shed any pollen you bring in on your clothes.
"Especially the bedroom at the end of the day," she said. "Keep your bedroom pollen-free, don't open the windows so pollen can come in."
Kabbash said people should take off the clothes they wore outside before going into their bedroom, and shower and wash their hair and face before getting into bed.
Pollen can also have negative affects on your skin. Dr. Abigail Waldman, a dermatologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said ragweed can cause eczema to flare up and may lead to itchy, scaly rashes in folds of skin around the neck and in other areas. Coming in contact with ragweed can also lead to skin conditions such as allergic contact dermatitis, which can result in welts up to two days after contact.
Waldman said patients should consider wearing long sleeves and pants when outdoors and try to avoid direct contact with ragweed.
"The more you're outdoors, in the woods, in piles of leaves, things like that, you're going to be more apt to come in contact," she said.
There are many medications to treat allergy symptoms. Oral antihistamines such as Zyrtec or Allegra can help ease sneezing and itching, and decongestants can help alleviate stuffiness. Doctors also recommend steroid and antihistamine nasal sprays.
"At any time, it's not wrong to see an allergist because we have a lot of different options for treatment and we can guide you to what medications might work best for you," Hernandez said. "But if you're at the end of the road and you've tried the oral antihistamine, you've tried intranasal steroids and intranasal antihistamine, certainly that's somebody who should be seeing their doctor."
Waldman said over-the-counter antihistamines can also help with itchy skin. She says a skin reaction to ragweed will appear similar to a poison ivy reaction.