Updated

Bad news for allergy sufferers: The already-brutal spring allergy season may extend well into summer this year, depending on the weather and air quality where you live.

Cooler temperatures delayed the onset of spring in many parts of the country.

"Because we've had the late onset of the spring…what we don't know is what the weather going to be in terms of blooming of other pollens like weeds. We could certainly have this parade of one leading into the other that the tree pollen leads to the grass pollen leads to the ragweed,” Dr. Jacqueline Eghrari-Sabet, of Family Allergy and Asthma Care in Gaithersburg, MD, said.  “And you can have a stuffy nose through every single month of the whole spring and summer."

The quality of the air where you live, combined with high pollen counts and weather patterns could exacerbate allergy and asthma symptoms among some sufferers. According to Eghrari-Sabet, droughts in the West, combined with hot and dry winds could cause contaminants in the air to travel farther and faster.

“Then as you come across the country to the Midwest or certainly now in the East where we've had this unbelievable amount of rain,” Eghrari-Sabet said. “The problem here again can be it washes away the pollen - but the molds are going to be incredible."

The FDA recently approved two new pills to help grass and ragweed sufferers – and Eghrari-Sabet said patients should act fast to treat allergies and asthma now, before they worsen.

“The reason you want to know about that now is you need to start the therapy for that about four months beforehand,” she said.

According to Eghrari-Sabet, the first step towards better managing your allergies is to schedule an appointment with a doctor.