Pollen got you down? Myrtle Beach is in top 10 for cities with lengthening allergy season

Ben Morse
·3 min read
2

Myrtle Beach’s allergy season is longer than it was in 1970, and the change is one of the most drastic in the United States, according to a new report.

Climate Central is an independent group of scientists that studies climate change’s effect on people’s lives. In March 2024, the group released a report detailing how climate warming impacts cities’ pollen and allergy irritation.

The report examined American cities’ allergy season from 1970 to 2023 to see if they had grown significantly. Climate Central’s data found Myrtle Beach’s allergy season grew by 48 days during that time period, the seventh-largest change in allergy season between 1970 and 2023, tied with Missoula, Mont. For context, Reno, Nev. had the largest change, with 95 days added to the city’s allergy season.

Here’s the list:

  1. Reno, Nev. - 95 days added

  2. Las Cruces, N.M. - 65 days added

  3. Medford, Ore. - 61 days added

  4. Boise, Idaho - 51 days added

  5. Tupelo, Miss. - 50 days added

  6. Missoula, Mont. - 48 days added

  7. Myrtle Beach, S.C. - 48 days added

  8. El Paso, Texas - 47 days added

  9. Toledo, Ohio - 45 days added

  10. Eugene, Ore. - 40 days added

  11. Helena, Mont. - 40 days added

Climate Central Director of Communications Peter Girard said the report used daily weather records to gauge allergy season length across the United States. He added that warmer winters are driving the longer allergy seasons in the state and Myrtle Beach specifically, adding that winter is three degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in the 1970s.

“The truth is, as long as CO2 concentrations rise, plants will produce more pollen,” Girard added. “The solution in the long term is to release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and lower concentration.”

Myrtle Beach wasn’t the only southeastern city to appear high on the list, as Atlanta, Ga.; Asheville, N.C.; Charleston, S.C., and others all appear within the top 30 for the most days added to the allergy season. Girard said that winters in the Southeast are getting warmer than in other places within the United States.

The problem is particularly bad for those with allergies or asthma. Myrtle Beach has a substantial elderly population that could be impacted by the change, Girard said. Indeed, Climate Central’s report notes that the expenses associated with managing asthma could also add financial strain to people, exacerbated by the lengthened allergy season.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reported that the yearly cost of asthma in America is $56 billion, close to $3,259 per person. The AAFA also reported that children 5 to 17 miss about 11 million school days per year due to asthma.

“More adults than children statistically have asthma that includes elderly populations, which means that those same vulnerabilities are present in populations of seniors,” Girard said. “It means that the chances of having an allergy season trigger an asthma attack are increasing.”

While Myrtle Beach’s allergy season is longer than in 1970, the Grand Strand isn’t necessarily a bad place to live for asthmatics. The AAFA does annual reports for American allergy and asthma capitals.

The AAFA’s 2023 report listed Charleston, S.C., and Greenville, S.C., as two of the 20 most challenging places to live with asthma in America. In 2024, Greenville and Columbia, S.C., also appeared in the AAFA’s top 20 most difficult places to live with pollen allergies. Myrtle Beach did not appear in the top 100 of the AAFA’s asthma or allergy capital.