Spring Allergy Season Hits Canada Hard

0:00It's April 19th, welcome to Canada News Today, powered by AI. Spring allergy season is hitting Canada hard, but it depends on where you are. Tree pollen kicks off early spring, grass follows later, and some folks are sneezing sooner than usual thanks to changing weather patterns. In British Columbia spots like Victorian Vancouver, Bloom started as early as late January and early February. But Ontario and Quebec are seeing delays from recent snow dumps, pushing back birch pollen that normally hits late April. When that warm weather finally blasts in after a long winter, trees go into overdrive, cranking out pollen fast for an intense start. Then grass season overlaps around mid-May, slamming folks allergic to both with a double punch. Pollin levels are way up nationwide compared to decades ago, nearly double from half a million grains to almost a million in the air. Getting over 200 grains per cubic meter counts as high, and Hamilton leads with close to 8,300 so far.

1:01Meanwhile, Toronto's spike to 2,800 grains last week, way above past years. Prairies and inlanny provinces are still quiet, but expect that to ramp up soon. If allergies bug you, those merit times might be your chill spot. Stay prepped out there.