The unusually pronounced rainy season which struck California earlier this year earned praise from environmental advocates, who celebrated the storm’s contributions to alleviating the state’s multi-year long drought. However, UCLA Professor of Medicine Andre Nel recently highlighted a more negative development associated with California’s wet winter in a KPCC program: allergies. According to Nel, recent storm weather has resulted in a higher than average pollen count and promises to yield high mold spore counts if drought conditions return in summer. As a result, individuals with allergies will experience more pronounced symptoms. Nel warns that, as global warming progresses, the weather conditions associated with climate change will continue to produce higher pollen levels, posing a threat to public health.

Read and listen more at KPCC.