Which Louisiana cities are the worst for pollen allergies this year?
Two Louisiana cities are among the 30 most challenging large cities for people with allergies in the U.S. for 2023, a report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says.
Both Baton Rouge and New Orleans were among the top 30 in the report, which ranked the largest 100 cities in the U.S. by how difficult living in the area can be for people with pollen allergies. The report used five factors, including tree pollen, grass pollen, weed pollen, over-the-counter allergy medicine use, and the availability of allergists and immunologists.
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New Orleans ranked as the 22nd-worst large city for people with pollen allergies in 2023, scoring below average for all types of pollen. The city scored around average for medicine use, and was ranked above average for specialist availability.
The city ranked 31st in tree pollen, 23rd in grass pollen, and 44th in weed pollen, according to the report.
New Orleans rose significantly compared to the 2022 report, when it ranked as the 51st most challenging for people with pollen allergies among the 100 largest cities in the U.S. New Orleans was right around average among those cities, and ranked 52nd for the spring season and 47th for the fall.
Baton Rouge ranked 30th overall in the 2023 report. The city was rated as average for allergist availability and medication use and below average for all types of pollen. Overall, the city was rated as average, but it had the highest score of all cities with an average rating.
Baton Rouge ranked 38th for tree pollen, 26th for grass pollen, and 56th for weed pollen.
Generally speaking, the 20 worst cities for people with pollen allergies in 2023 were concentrated in the eastern and southern parts of the country. Florida had the most top-20 cities with seven.
Here’s the full top 20:
Wichita, KS
Dallas, TX
Scranton, PA
Oklahoma City, OK
Tulsa, OK
Sarasota, FL
Cape Coral, FL
Orlando, FL
Des Moines, IA
Greenville, SC
Virginia Beach, VA
Houston, TX
Little Rock, AR
Miami, FL
Lakeland, FL
Raleigh, NC
Palm Bay, FL
Tampa, FL
Greensboro, NC
Rochester, NY
What about Louisiana’s other big cities?
None of Louisiana’s other seven major metropolitan areas qualified for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America report, but Pollen.com does track historic pollen counts and five-day forecasts for pollen levels for the rest of Louisiana’s larger cities.
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In Lafayette, for example, 26 of the last 30 days had high pollen levels, while three days had a medium-high level and one day had a low level. The city is expected to have a medium-low level on Monday, a low level on Tuesday and high levels for Wednesday through Friday.
Shreveport had a high level on 22 of the last 30 days and a medium-high level for six days. Two days had a low-medium level. The city is forecast to have a high pollen level Monday through Friday.
Monroe had a high pollen count on 19 of the last 30 days and had a medium-high level for eight days. The city also had one day each of a medium level, low-medium level and low level. The next five days are all expected to have high pollen levels.
Lake Charles had a high level for 25 of the last 30 days, with four other days at medium-high levels. One day had a low pollen count. On Monday, the city is expected to have a medium-high count, followed by a low-medium count on Tuesday. Wednesday through Friday are expected to have high pollen counts.
Nineteen of the last 30 days had high pollen levels in Alexandria, while eight days had medium-high levels. The city had one day each with medium-high, medium, and low levels. For Monday through Friday, the city is expected to have high counts on each day.
Houma had a high pollen level on 27 of the last 30 days, along with two days with a medium level and one day with a medium-high level. The city is expected to be at a medium level Monday and a low-medium level on Tuesday, before jumping back up to a high level for Wednesday through Friday.
Hammond had a high count for 27 of the last 30 days. Two days had a medium level, and one day had a medium-high pollen level. Monday is expected to have a medium level, followed by a low-medium level on Tuesday. The city is expected to have a high pollen level Wednesday through Friday.
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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Which Louisiana cities are the worst for pollen allergies this year?
