New to Texas? How to avoid being miserable this cedar season

The cedar count remains in the "very high" category Tuesday.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — There's a good chance you're feeling the cedar in Central Texas this week. The cedar count remains in the "very high" category Tuesday.

It's a dreaded time of year for people who are allergic to cedar pollen, but if you're not from Texas, you might not be ready for what the locals fondly refer to as "cedar fever."

"We have a particularly high concentration of cedar pollen here in Central Texas, so when people move here from other places around the country, if they don't already have the cedar allergy and they're susceptible to allergies, they may develop it after a few years," said Dr. Michael Saavedra, an Austin allergist.

Using Google Trends, we can see that folks in Austin are googling cedar fever at the highest rate since January of last year. There's a 140% increase in people asking, "when is cedar fever in Austin?"

"We're right in the middle of cedar season and it's gonna be difficult for the next few months," Saavedra said.

So how do you make it not miserable? Saavedra recommends the following:

• Avoid outdoor activities on high pollen days. You can use KXAN's allergy report to figure out when those days are
• Keep windows and doors closed when possible
• Rinse off after spending time outside
• Wipe down your pets with a damp cloth after time outside
• If necessary, use over-the-counter medications like Flonase or Allegra

"For people who have more severe symptoms, you want to consider seeing your allergist. You may benefit from things like allergy shots," he added.

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