Photo: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(Omaha, NE) -- Ragweed season is now underway in Nebraska and Iowa, with rising levels of pollen. For allergy sufferers, it's getting worse. Studies show the pollen produced by ragweed has increased in both amount and potency over the past 40 to 50 years.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in the Nebraska and Iowa region, the pollen season is an average 15 days longer than it was in 1995. Graphic from U.S. EPA from published research by Ziska et al., 2016.
The Douglas County Health Department reports high weed pollen counts right now, with Pigweed, Ragweed, and Nettle the main pollens in the Omaha area.
Photo: Photo by Wendy Wilde