Facts, Prevention, and Relief for Minnesota Allergies in 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyMinnesota is a Midwestern state that has the beautiful Twin Cities while sharing a border with Canada and the largest of our Great Lakes. Something else Minnesota residents can appreciate is the fact that allergies aren’t that bad there. While it doesn’t rank in the top ten best states for allergies, it’s still better than many.
But that doesn’t mean Minnesota is devoid of pollen. There will still be residents who have to deal with seasonal allergies from trees, weeds, and grass. If you need relief from your Minnesota allergies, Wyndly can help.
Wyndly’s doctors can provide you with a personalized allergy treatment plan that will treat your Minnesota allergies and bring you long-term relief. Get your Wyndly allergy consultation today, or read on to learn more about Minnesota allergy season.
When Is Minnesota Allergy Season?
Minnesota’s allergy season is fairly typical, if not a little shorter than allergy seasons in many other states. Minnesota’s northern geography makes for long cold spells, meaning allergy season often won’t start until April. Allergy season will be over in Minnesota after the first hard frost of winter, which is usually in October.
Allergens by Season
Allergies will differ depending on what season it is in Minnesota. Let’s take a look at each season and its allergies.
Summer
Summer is grass allergy season for Minnesota residents. The typical culprits are Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and bent, timothy, orchard, and fescue grasses. Grass pollen allergies usually begin in May and taper off in July.
Fall
Fall is weed allergy season in Minnesota. The main offenders are ragweed, wormwood, amaranth, and sagebrush. Weed allergies will start around August and last until the first hard freeze of winter.
Winter
Winter is long and cold in Minnesota. While this might not be the most fun for those who love the outdoors and sunshine, it’s great news for seasonal allergy sufferers. Just beware of indoor allergies like dust mites, mold, and pet dander.
Spring
Spring is when tree allergy season begins in Minnesota. The main tree allergies are caused by ash, oak, maple, hickory, cedar, willow, and mulberry trees. Tree allergy season usually starts pretty late in Minnesota, around late March or early April. It tapers off in May.
Common Allergens
Minnesota residents will deal with the typical tree, grass, and weed pollen allergies that cause issues for the rest of the country.
Common Symptoms
Minnesota residents can expect the following allergy symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Coughing
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Headaches
- Scratchy throat
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Hives
- Aggravated asthma symptoms
As always, reactions will vary from person to person, but allergies will generally cause one or more of these symptoms to occur.
Allergens Around the State
The different regions of Minnesota will have various pollen allergies to deal with. Let’s take a look at some of the major areas and the allergies they have.
Minneapolis/St. Cloud/Rochester/St, Paul
The Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Rochester, and St. Paul areas will have spring tree allergies from hickory, ash, maple, oak, mulberry, cedar, and willow. Summer grass allergy triggers include bluegrass, ryegrass, and orchard, bent, and timothy grasses. Fall weed allergies are often from ragweed, wormwood, and sagebrush.
Duluth/Grand Rapids/International Falls
The Duluth, Grand Rapids, and International Falls areas will have spring allergies from hickory, ash, oak, and willow trees. Grass allergies in summer are often a response to ryegrass and bent, timothy, orchard, fescue, and prairie grasses. Fall weed allergies are typically caused by ragweed, wormwood, and sagebrush.
Detroit Lakes/Fergus Falls/Thief River Falls/Bemidji/Voyageurs National Park
The Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Thief River Falls, Bemidji, and Voyageurs National Park areas have spring allergies to ash, oak, willow, and maple pollen. Summer grass allergy triggers include ryegrass and timothy, fescue, and orchard grasses. Fall weed allergies are often a response to amaranth, ragweed, and sagebrush.
Testing and Diagnosis
It can be difficult to determine the cause of your seasonal allergies. Intersecting allergy seasons, the variety of pollen in the air, and the presence of indoor allergies make it hard to pinpoint which allergen is causing your symptoms. An allergy test can help you learn your allergy profile. Wyndly makes allergy testing convenient and painless with our at-home allergy tests. Order your at-home allergy test from Wyndly today.
Let’s examine how different allergy testing options work.
Old-Fashioned Method: Skin Prick Test at Your Doctor’s Office
Skin prick testing requires you to go to the doctor to find out your allergen triggers. It’s often uncomfortable, and it takes time out of your day. You’ll go to the doctor’s office, they’ll administer a test where they prick or scrape your skin with a needle tipped with different allergens, and then they’ll observe the areas they pricked for itchiness, redness, or swelling. All in all, it’s not a pleasant experience. Instead, you can save yourself time and pain by getting an at-home test.
Modern and Efficient At-Home Method
- Get Wyndly’s at-home allergy test. We ship our CLIA-certified test straight to your door.
- Take the allergy test and send it back to us. Just do a quick finger prick test to provide us with a blood sample and mail it back when you’re done.
- Receive your personal allergy profile. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through a treatment plan.
Treatment and Remedies
No one likes allergy symptoms, but you don’t have to just put up with your Minnesota allergies throughout the season. There are remedies and treatments available to help with your symptoms.
Limiting Exposure
Limiting exposure is the first step toward reducing allergy symptoms. There are several ways you can keep pollen exposure to a minimum.
- Look at the pollen count: It’s a good idea to check the daily pollen count to see if pollen levels are going to be high for your allergen. If they’re going to be high for the day, you may want to try to stay indoors. If you do go outside, wearing an N95 mask can help.
- Shower and do laundry more often: During allergy season, pollen is bound to stick to your hair, skin, and clothing. It can be helpful to shower and do laundry more often so you can get pollen off yourself when you get home.
- Keep your home clean: Pollen is going to get into your home one way or another. Vacuuming with a HEPA filter vacuum and dusting with a wet rag can help you get rid of pollen. It’s also helpful to install a HEPA filter on your A/C system and use a dehumidifier.
- Cut grass, trim trees, and pull weeds: Though it won’t get rid of pollen completely, you can help reduce the amount of pollen these plants produce by keeping your grass short, trimming tree branches, and pulling weeds from your yard.
- Keep windows closed: Be sure to keep your windows closed during allergy season to keep pollen out.
- Take off your shoes: When you get home, take off your shoes to avoid tracking in pollen.
Medications
Limiting your exposure may not be enough to provide you relief from your allergy symptoms. Medications can help provide further short-term relief and manage your symptoms. Common options include antihistamines, eye drops, nasal sprays, and decongestants.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
If you’re tired of short-term relief and want to find long-term relief from your allergy symptoms, sublingual immunotherapy may be the right choice for you. Sublingual immunotherapy is a treatment — not a short-term solution. This means it treats your allergies at the source by retraining your immune system to ignore or tolerate allergens. It does this by introducing small, gradually increasing doses of your allergen to your immune system using liquid drops or tablets. Unlike allergy shots, this method doesn’t require painful needles or visits to the doctor. It can be taken at home and administered easily under the tongue.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
If you’ve been searching for long-term relief from your Minnesota allergies, Wyndly is your solution. Our doctors can provide a personalized treatment plan based on your allergies and allergy history to finally help you find lifelong allergy relief.
Get started today by taking our easy 2-minute online assessment!
Minnesota Allergy FAQs
Still have questions about Minnesota allergies? Here are some common questions and answers to help you out.
How long is Minnesota’s allergy season?
Minnesota has a fairly short allergy season, going from mid-spring to late fall.
Is allergy season bad in Minnesota?
Allergy season is relatively mild in Minnesota.
Is Minnesota a good state if you have allergies?
Minnesota is an average state for allergies if you can deal with the long winters.
When is Minnesota allergy season?
Minnesota allergy season usually begins in April and ends around late October.
What are the worst months?
The worst months are May, June, and September.
