Austin ranks No. 4 on the list of worst cities for allergies

Austin has made the Weather Channel's list of the worst cities for allergies in the country, ranking at No. 4. The common denominator among the top 5 cities is their location in the South. Cities with warmer temperatures do not have long freezes, which gives plants and trees more time to grow and spread pollen, said Weather Channel meteorologist Lauriana Gaudet. Austin sits between the Hill Country and the more humid parts of East Texas, creating an overlap of pollen-producing plants from multiple environments. Austin is best known for its cedar fever season from December through February when the male Ashe juniper trees start releasing their pollen. June is a month where tree pollen ebbs, but grasses start having their moment. Some parts of Texas, including the Hill Country, are expected to have a worse-than-normal allergy season this year, though Austin is on the border of that wave.