Cedar Fever season underway in Central Texas

AUSTIN - Cedar Fever season is in full swing across Central Texas and is expected to last through February. 

Itchy eyes, runny nose, scratchy throat, symptoms are all too familiar for central Texans.

Dr. Ronald Cox of Greater Austin Allergy says it has noticed an uptick in patients coming in with those symptoms.

"Unfortunately, this is one of the most beautiful times in Central Texas. There's beautiful weather outside and you can't go outside because of the cedar," said Dr. Cox.

Cedar allergies, otherwise known as "Cedar Fever", are in full swing. It’s an allergic reaction to pollen from mountain cedar trees, also known as juniper trees. 

"What's unique about Cedar Fever is it actually feels like you do have a fever and wipes people out," said Dr. Cox. "This one actually makes you feel bad."

Dr. Cox says it's unique to Texas because other areas don’t typically have an allergy season in the winter months.

"It's not the cedar that's in your backyard. The wind can carry pollens up to 300 miles. So, it's what's indigenous to your area and the Hill Country is just loaded with cedar," said Dr. Cox.

While the season typically begins around Christmastime, Dr. Cox says this year it came at the start of December. He anticipates it will last until February.

According to FOX 7 Austin's Pollen Sense Sensor, you can see a jump in the cedar level at the beginning of the month.

According to Dr. Cox, it’ll get worse before it gets better.

"Probably the latter part of December 1st and a couple of weeks of January should be a peak," said Cox.

But there are things Texans can do to alleviate symptoms. Dr. Cox says it depends on what those look like.

"A lot of people will have itchy, runny, sneeze and if that's your main complaint, the over-the-counter antihistamines work well for that," Dr. Cox said.

Dr. Cox says if your main concern is itchy or watery eyes, he recommends over-the-counter eye drops.

To avoid allergy symptoms, he also recommends keeping your windows closed. 

You can also track the pollen outlook for your week.

You can find more information here.