San Antonio ranked as the nation's fifth-worst city for seasonal allergies

It's starting to feel like springtime in San Antonio. The weather is mild, Fiesta is drawing near — and people are coughing, sneezing and rubbing their watery eyes.

If you're one of the many people struggling with those symptoms, it may come as little surprise that the Alamo City is the fifth-worst U.S. city for those with seasonal allergies, according to a new report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

SA's "worst than average" allergy season is due to its year-round warm climate, meaning that even when the season for one allergen ends, another begins, leaving those suffering from seasonal allergies with itchy eyes and runny noses all the time.

San Antonio isn't the only Texas city with nasty seasonal allergies. The border town of McAllen was ranked as the No. 3 worst city for those with seasonal allergies. Dallas came in at No. 28 and Houston at No. 34.

Still, Alamo City residents should be grateful they don't live in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which the AAFA ranked as the 2022 allergy capital. Other Northeastern cities in New York and Connecticut also copped a spot in the top 10.

And although the Northeast don't have a year-round growing season like San Antonio's, the AAFA's report said that climate change is "resulting in longer and more intense pollen seasons" and the "worsening of urban heat islands."

AAFA's 10 worst U.S cities for seasonal allergies include:
1. Scranton, Pennsylvania
2. Wichita, Kansas
3. McAllen, Texas
4. Richmond, Virginia
5. San Antonio
6. Oklahoma City
7. Hartford, Connecticut
8. Buffalo, New York
9. New Haven, Connecticut
10. Albany, New York

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