Fall allergies are around the corner - here's what to know

FOX 2 - We're feeling the summer heat but we also know fall is right around the corner - which means those irritating fall allergies are too.

The backstory:

It's hard to even remember when those fall allergies creep up, but it might happen just as those kids are going back to school. 

"I typically tell my patients that fall allergies start right around labor day, and they go until the first snowfall," said Dr. Sandra Hong, Cleveland Clinic. "So, when kids start going back to school, we're in fall allergies."

Doctor Hong is an allergist and says if you suffer from fall allergies, she recommends starting allergy medications about two weeks before your symptoms begin.

Over-the-counter antihistamines can ease symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes and itching – while nasal steroid sprays can help with congestion.

Hong also suggests limiting time outdoors when pollen counts are high, like early mornings or on dry, windy days.

When you’re coming in from outside, make sure to change your clothes, take a shower and keep your windows closed.

This all helps prevent outdoor allergens from getting inside. Above all, she says it’s important to know when to see an allergist.

"If they continue to be miserable," she said. "So the medications aren't working over the counter, or they're having troubles with daily living, having shortness of breath, coughing, they're wheezing, any of those types of things.

"And there are so many other options that allergists can utilize to make people feel better."

The biggest culprit when it comes to fall allergies is ragweed. Those plants release pollen with cool nights and warm august days and then it keeps going into September and October.

Even if ragweed isn't in your yard, it's microscopic powdery particles of pollen can travel hundreds of miles.