Facts, Prevention, and Relief for Mississippi Allergies in 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyMississippi is a southern state known for its history and bluegrass music. Unfortunately for residents, it’s also known for being one of the worst places in the country for allergies. The state capital, Jackson, frequently ranks in the top five worst cities to live with allergies — often claiming the top spot.
Of course, if you have allergies in Mississippi, you don’t have to make plans to move away. Proper prevention measures and treatment can help. Wyndly can help you find long-term relief from your Mississippi allergy symptoms with a personalized allergy treatment plan. Schedule your allergy consultation with Wyndly today, or read on to learn more about Mississippi allergies.
When Is Mississippi Allergy Season?
Mississippi is a warm state, with temperatures rarely dipping below the 40s in winter. The summers are also very hot and humid. This, along with the rich foliage, contributes to Mississippi’s miserable allergy seasons. Due to the warm weather, allergy season can be fairly long, running from February and going as late as November for weed allergies.
Allergens by Season
Let’s take a look at some of the common allergens for each of Mississippi’s seasons.
Summer
Summer in Mississippi marks the beginning of grass pollen season. This season will usually begin near the end of May and go until July. Common grass allergies in Mississippi include ryegrass, Bahia, Bermuda, orchard, and fescue grasses.
Fall
Fall is weed allergy season for Mississippi residents. Weed allergies tend to pick up in late August. Mississippi weed allergy season can go well into late fall, sometimes going until November. Weed allergies may include ragweed, marsh elder, pigweed, and amaranth.
Winter
Despite the warm temperatures, pollen allergies tend to slow down during Mississippi winters. Occasionally, ragweed pollen may still be an issue in winter. Some trees, such as maples, ash, and mulberry, may start their season early and begin in the winter months too.
Spring
Spring is when tree allergy season peaks for Mississippi residents. Common tree allergies usually stem from hickory, oak, walnut, willow, box elder, maple, ash, cedar, and mulberry.
Common Allergens
Common allergens for Mississippi residents include grass, tree, and weed pollen. Indoor allergens may include mold, pet dander, dust mites, and cockroaches.
Common Symptoms
Mississippi 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 in general, allergies will cause one or more of these symptoms to occur.
Allergens Around the State
Depending on what area of Mississippi you’re in, you may have different pollen allergies than other parts of the state. Let’s take a look at some of the common allergens in major regions of Mississippi.
Clarksdale/Greenville
Allergy season for Clarksdale and Greenville begins in spring with walnut, oak, willow, privet, cedar, ash, and mulberry trees. Summer allergies include ryegrass and Bermuda, orchard, and bent grasses. In fall, allergies include ragweed, wormwood, marsh elder, and amaranth.
Jackson/Vicksburg/Natchez/Ridgeland
The Jackson, Vicksburg, Natchez, and Ridgeland areas will have spring tree allergies from hickory, oak, walnut, maple, cedar, ash, privet, and willow pollen. Summer grass allergies include ryegrass and Bermuda, fescue, and orchard grasses. In fall, weed allergies include ragweed and marsh elder.
Hattiesburg/Meridian/Tupelo/Columbus/Starkville
The Hattiesburg, Meridian, Tupelo, Columbus, and Starkville areas have spring tree allergies from oak, walnut, ash, cedar, mulberry, pecan, hickory, and maple. Summer grass allergies include ryegrass and Bermuda and bent grasses. Fall weed allergies include ragweed and amaranth.
Gulfport/Biloxi
The Gulfport and Biloxi areas start tree allergies in spring with oak, cedar, willow, ash, hickory, and mulberry pollen. Summer grass allergies include ryegrass and Bermuda, corn, and bent grasses. In fall, weed allergies include ragweed, marsh elder, and amaranth.
Testing and Diagnosis
Seasonal and indoor allergy seasons often intermingle, and the pollen in the air can come from a variety of sources. This makes it very difficult to determine exactly what is causing your allergies. Fortunately, an allergy test is a simple way to clear things up. Wyndly makes allergy testing convenient and painless with our at-home allergy tests. Order your at-home allergy test today to discover what you are allergic to.
Let’s explore 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
- Order 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 personalized treatment plan. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through your treatment plan.
Treatment and Remedies
Allergy symptoms are something that no one wants to deal with. Fortunately, there are several remedies that can help you manage your symptoms, and there are even treatment options to provide you with long-term relief. Let’s take a look at some of these remedies and treatments.
Limiting Exposure
One of the first symptom management tactics recommended to allergy sufferers is avoidance of your allergens. Limiting exposure can help reduce the frequency and intensity of your symptoms. There are several ways you can minimize allergen exposure.
- Watch the pollen count: If the pollen count is going to be high, you may be better off staying indoors as much as possible that day. If you do need to go outside, wearing an N95 mask, sunglasses, and a hat can help prevent you from breathing in allergens and getting them in your eyes.
- Keep the house clean: Keeping your home very clean during allergy season is recommended to reduce pollen in your living space. It helps to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and dust hard surfaces with a wet rag.
- Trim trees, cut grass, pull weeds: If you want to reduce pollen levels around your home, trimming branches, keeping grass short, and getting rid of weeds will keep them from producing as much pollen.
- Keep windows closed: Keeping your windows closed and letting your A/C run can help prevent pollen from getting in. It’s also a good idea to install a HEPA filter.
- Take showers and do laundry: When you go outside, pollen is inevitably going to stick to your skin, hair, and clothes. When you get home, rinsing off in the shower can help get the pollen off you. Doing your laundry frequently will also reduce the pollen you’re exposed to.
Medications
Although limiting exposure can be helpful, it doesn’t always provide the relief you need. In that case, over-the-counter allergy medications can be a good solution for short-term symptom management. Antihistamines, nasal sprays, eye drops, and decongestants are all good options.
Sublingual Immunotherapy
Allergy medications and limiting your exposure can only go so far. These solutions provide you with short-term relief and help you manage your symptoms, but they don’t treat them at their source. For that, you should consider sublingual immunotherapy. Sublingual immunotherapy retrains your immune system to ignore allergy triggers. It does this by introducing small, incrementally increasing doses of your allergen to your immune system. This provides you with long-term relief from symptoms as you develop a tolerance over time.
Unlike allergy shots, there are no doctor’s visits or painful needles required for sublingual immunotherapy.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
If you want lifelong relief from your allergies, let Wyndly help. Our doctors can create a personalized treatment plan for your Mississippi allergies. Schedule an allergy consultation with Wyndly today to find out how we can help you find long-term allergy relief.
Mississippi Allergy FAQs
Still have questions about Mississippi allergies? Here are some common questions and answers to help you out.
How long is Mississippi’s allergy season?
The Mississippi allergy season can be fairly long due to the state’s warmer weather. It can start in late winter and go into late fall.
Is allergy season bad in Mississippi?
Allergy season in Mississippi is one of the worst in the country.
Is Mississippi a good state if you have allergies?
Mississippi frequently ranks as one of the worst states for allergies, with the capital often ranking in the top five worst cities.
When is the Mississippi allergy season?
Mississippi allergy season can begin as early as January and go well into November.
What are the worst months?
The worst months are April, May, June, and September.
