Weather Words: Hay Fever

When there’s a yellow coating covering every surface outside, and maybe even a yellow haze in the sky, the symptoms that come from hay fever might be emerging soon (if they haven't already). As the seasons change and flowers and trees begin to bloom, you may suffer from hay fever.

Hay fever can be triggered by pollen, and we know that pollen season can be quite brutal across some parts of the country, afftecting as many as one in every six Americans, According to the National Institute of Health.

Symptoms of hay fever include:

• Itchy, watery eyes
• Constant sneezing
• Runny nose
• Coughing
• Swollen, bruised-appearing skin under the eyes, known as allergic shiners.
• Extreme tiredness and fatigue, often due to poor sleep.

Some people suffer from hay fever all year, and others only experience it at certain times of the year. Springtime is a trigger for many as tree and grass pollen begin to have an impact on those with seasonal allergies. It’s also worth noting that dust, mold and pet dander can also trigger hay fever.

Here’s how hay fever is triggered: An allergen is a harmless airborne substance that your immune system identifies as being harmful. Therefore, our body produces certain antibodies to protect us from these allergens. When our bodies come in contact with these allergens, our immune system is triggered to release chemicals such as histamine into the bloodstream. This in turn causes the not so fun symptoms we experience with hay fever.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.